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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 

G3O.7 


Cop- 


OP 


CIRCULATING 


CHECK  FOR  UNBOUND 
CIRCULATING  COPY 


Production  and  Marketing 
of  Redtop 


Including  a  Study  of  the  Place  of 

Redtop  in  the  Organization  of 

Southern  Illinois  Farms 


By 

W.  L.  BURLISON 

C.  L.  STEWART 

R.  C.  Ross 

and 
O.  L.  WHALIN 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

BULLETIN  404 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I  NTROI>UCTION 231 

CULTURAL  PRACTICES  FOLLOWED  IN  GROWING  AND 

HARVESTING  REDTOP 232 

Soil   Treatment 233 

Seeding 235 

Harvesting 238 

PRODUCTION  OF  REDTOP  IN  ILLINOIS 241 

Seed i 244 

Straw 247 

Hay 248 

Pasture 250 

DISPOSITION  MADE  OF  THE  REDTOP  CROP  IN  ILLINOIS 251 

COMPETITION  BETWEEN  REDTOP  AND  OTHER  GRASS  SEEDS  255 
METHODS  AND  PROBLEMS  OF  MARKETING  REDTOP  SEED....  257 

Marketing  Thru  Local  Dealers 257 

Marketing  Thru  the  Egyptian  Seed  Growers'  Exchange  and  the 

Redtop  Growers'  Warehouse  Association 261 

Marketing  by  Wholesale  Dealers 262 

Retail   Marketing 263 

Recent  Efforts  to  Stabilize  Redtop  Seed  Marketing 264 

PRICES  OF  REDTOP  SEED 265 

FARM  MANAGEMENT  ASPECTS  OF  REDTOP  PRODUCTION 

IN  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 272 

Relative  Profitableness  of  Redtop 273 

Extent  to  Which  Period  of  Study  Was  Normal 273 

Organization  of  Redtop  Farms  in  the  Redtop  District 277 

Redtop  in  the  Cropping  System / 279 

Competition  of  Redtop  With  Other  Crops 281 

Business  Analysis  of  Account-Keeping  Farms  in  the  Redtop  District...  284 
How  Redtop  Has  Been  Used  on  Selected  Farms 288 

EFFECT  OF  CASH-OUTLAY  REQUIREMENTS  ON  USE 

OF  REDTOP 291 

PLACE  OF  REDTOP  IN  FUTURE  ADTUSTMENTS  OF 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  AGRICULTURE 292 

SUMMARY 295 

LITERATURE   CITED 298 

SOURCES  OF  DATA..  .  299 


Urbana,  Illinois  June,   1934 

Publications  in  the  Bulletin  series  report  the  results  of  investigations 

made  by  or  sponsored  by  the  Experiment  Station 


Production  and  Marketing  of  Redtop 

Including  a  Study  of  the  Place  of  Redtop  in  the 
Organization  of  Southern  Illinois  Farms 

By  W.  L.  BURLISON,  C.  L.  STEWART,  R.  C.  Ross,  and  O.  L.  WHAUN* 

]f  ^vEDTOP  occupies  an  important  place  in  meadows  and  pastures 
in  the  northern  humid  region  of  the  United  States,  particularly 
east  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  in  the  more  mountainous  por- 
tions of  the  humid  regions  of  the  Southeast.  It  is  the  second  most 
important  pasture  grass  in  the  United  States,7*  ranking  next  to  Ken- 
tucky bluegrass.  About  85  percent0*  of  the  world's  supply  of  redtop 
seed  and  95  percent  of  the  total  redtop  seed  in  the  United  States  is 
produced  in  a  dozen  counties  in  southern  Illinois,  and  has  been  pro- 
duced there  since  about  1875. J*  A  limited  amount  of  redtop  seed  is 
produced  in  Iowa  and  Missouri  as  a  volunteer  crop  with  timothy. 

Redtop,  the  most  important  of  the  grasses  belonging  to  the  genus 
Agrostis*  is  a  perennial  of  the  bent-grass  group,  having  a  creeping 
underground  habit  of  growth  which  makes  a  coarse,  loose  sward.  If 
grown  isolated,  a  redtop  plant  makes  tufts  1  to  3  feet  in  diameter 
which  vary  from  about  30  to  40  inches  in  height.  The  vigorous  root- 
stalks  are  shallow  and  generally  2  to  6  inches  in  length.  Redtop  ma- 
tures about  the  same  time  as  timothy.  It  is  unquestionably  native  to 
Europe  and  not  to  America,8*  despite  the  claims  of  some  early  botan- 
ists and  others  that  it  is  native  to  Illinois.5* 

The  concentration  of  redtop  seed  production  in  the  southern  part 
of  Illinois  has  been  due  to  a  combination  of  economic  factors,  favor- 
able climate,  and  soils  not  so  well  adapted  to  other  crops.  Most  of  the 
seed  that  is  now  being  produced  in  the  Illinois  redtop  district  is  grown 
on  gray  soils  with  impervious  noncalcareous  subsoil  (Fig.  3).  These 
lands  are  very  poorly  drained,  cannot  be  successfully  tiled,  are  very 
acid,  and  have  areas  called  "slick  spots."11*  Owing  to  drainage  con- 
ditions, it  is  very  difficult  to  utilize  more  than  a  small  percentage  of 
such  farms  in  cultivated  crops  that  require  spring  seed-bed  preparation. 
Thus  a  crop  like  redtop,  that  once  seeded  down  grows  for  a  number 
of  years  with  little  care  other  than  that  involved  in  harvesting  the 

•W.  L.  BURLISON,  Department  of  Agronomy;  C.  L.  STEWART  and  R.  C.  Ross,  Depart- 
ment of  Agricultural  Economics;  and  O.  L.  WHALIN,  formerly  in  Department  of  Agricultural 
Economics. 

^Agrostis  alba  L.  or  Agrostis  palustris  Hudson. 

"These  numbers  refer  to  literature  citations  on  page  298. 

231 


232 


BULLETIN  No.  4<W 


[June, 


seed,  fits  well  into  the  usual  farming  plan.   It  is  one  of  the  chief  money 
crops  of  southern  Illinois. 

The  principal  uses  of  redtop  are:    (1)  as  a  wet-land  or  sour-land 
hay  crop;  (2)  as  a  part  of  pasture  mixtures,  especially  on  wet,  sour, 


FIG.  1. — DISTRIBUTION  OF  REDTOP  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
Redtop  occupies  an  important  place  in  many  pastures  and  meadows  of  the 
northern  humid  region  and  the  more  mountainous  portions  of  the  southeastern 
humid  region,  particularly  where  the  land  is  not  well  drained. 


and  poor  land  and  in  New  England  where  the  English  idea  of  seed 
mixtures  for  "top"  and  "bottom"  grasses  is  well  established;  (3)  as 
a  part  of  lawn  and  golf-course  mixtures;  (4)  as  a  soil  binder;  and 
(5)  as  an  ingredient  in  seed  mixtures  for  hay  to  be  used  on  the  farm. 

CULTURAL  PRACTICES  FOLLOWED  IN  GROWING 
AND  HARVESTING  REDTOP 

No  other  cultivated  grass  will  grow  under  so  wide  a  range  of  con- 
ditions of  soil  and  climate  as  will  redtop.  It  succeeds  well  over  most 

Note. — Redtop  was  introduced  at  an  early  date  into  the  American  colonies, 
probably  in  grass-seed  mixtures.  The  agricultural  value  of  this  grass  was  well 
recognized  in  New  Jersey  by  1804,8*  the  seed  having  been  brought  there  from 
New  England.  The  crop  had  been  introduced  into  southern  Illinois  from  the 
Ohio  valley  by  the  early  fifties,  where  it  was  used  mainly  for  hay  and  pasture.1* 
The  first  lot  of  redtop  seed  from  southern  Illinois  was  marketed  in  Cincinnati 
in  the  late  fifties.1*  Contact  was  made  with  markets  in  New  York  in  1867. 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  RF.DTOP 


233 


of  the  United  States  except  in  the  drier  regions  and  in  the  extreme 
south.  Redtop  is  at  least  the  equal  of  timothy  in  resistance  to  cold,  and 
withstands  summer  heat  much  better,  particularly  on  the  poor  soils 


•   =2.000  BUSHELS 


FIG.  2. — PRODUCTION  OK  REDTOP  AND  OTHER  GRASS  SEED  IN  32 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1929 

Redtop  seed  production  (which  makes  up  the  largest  part  of  "other  grass 
seed,"  Census  classification)  is  highly  localized  in  Illinois,  being  centered  in  the 
counties  of  Marion,  Wayne,  Clay,  Richland,  and  Edwards.  The  adjoining 
counties  of  Jasper  and  Fayette  on  the  north,  Clinton  on  the  west,  Jefferson  and 
White  on  the  south,  and  Wabash  and  Lawrence  on  the  east  produce  considerable 
seed  in  the  portions  of  these  counties  lying  adjacent  to  the  five  counties  of 
greatest  concentration. 


where  it  is  most  commonly  grown.  Redtop  thrives  best  on  moist  or 
wet  soils,  altho  it  has  high  drouth  endurance.  It  grows  on  soils  defi- 
cient in  lime  where  most  other  grasses  fail,  but  does  best  on  loam  soils, 
including  clay  loams. 

Soil  Treatment 

The  effect  of  soil  treatment  on  the  yield  of  redtop  for  seed  and 
hay  has  been  studied  in  work  conducted  on  the  Newton  and  Odin  ex- 
periment fields  in  the  main  redtop  district  of  Illinois  (Table  1). 

The  use  of  organic  manures  and  lime,  considered  on  these  soils  as 
basic  treatment,  gave  yields  considerably  higher  than  the  average  for 
the  redtop  area.  At  Odin  each  addition  in  soil  treatment  resulted  in 
an  increased  yield  of  hay  but  not  always  in  an  increased  seed  yield.  At 
Newton  rock  phosphate  gave  increased  yields  of  both  seed  and  hay 
when  added  to  the  basic  treatment.  Increased  amounts  of  limestone 
gave  increased  seed  yields  over  the  average  yields  on  the  treated  check 
plots. 


Provisional  Soil  Map  of 
ILLINOIS 


tot  Mill  wlUl  hwvy  non-ukjreaj)  wtnoln 

tort  um  witfi  hwvy  c«kjr 

Drk  KWI  witti  non^jktnoin 

MMM 


Y<llowlili    rt    Mil  with  non-ulurto<i 


ftrMmilh    y«ltow-dr4y  Milt  with  non-CJkjr«<*n  1-bw.l 
kKludn  flit  <ru>  wlUl  I«MT«<WI  »ub...l. 


tramilli  ptHn-pty  Mih  will)  uluricul 


FIG.  3. — SOILS  IN  THE  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS,  1929 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


235 


TABLE  1. — EFFECT  OF  SOIL  TREATMENT  ON  YIELDS  OF  REDTOP  SEED  AND  HAY, 

NEWTON  AND  ODIN  SOIL  EXPERIMENT  FIELDS' 

(Pounds  per  acre) 


Odin  field 

Newton  field 

Newton  field,  lime  series 

Treatment11 

1931  yields 

Treatment 

Average  of 
1928.  1929, 
1932  yields 

Treatment 

1929-30 

yields 

Seed 

Hay 

Seed 

Hay 

Seed 

0 

60 
90 
78 
99 
60 

940 
1  400 
1  890 
2  240 
3  230 

RLrP«.  .  , 

89 
75 
80 
67 
84 

1  660 
1  280 
1  420 
1  340 
1  380 

RrPK    

53 
86 
118 
96 

R 

RL  

RrPK,  L3  tons.  .  . 
RrPK.  L  6  tons.  .  . 
RrPK,  L  12  tons. 

RL  

RLrP<»  .  . 

RLbP 

RL   

RLbPK   

RLrP*  

•Newton  is  in  Jasper  county;  Odin  in  Marion  county,  Illinois. 
i>Key  to  abbreviations: 

0  --=  untreated  land,  or  check  plots 
M   =  manure  (animal) 

R  =  residues  (from  crops,  and  including  legumes  used  as  green  manure) 
L  =  limestone 
bP  =  steamed  bone  meal 
rP  -=  rock  phosphate 

K  =  potassium  (sulfate  at  Odin,  kainit  at  Newton) 

"Phosphorus  application  sufficient  to  bring  phosphorus  content  of  surface  soil  to  2,000  pounds 
an  acre. 

d200  pounds  of  rock  phosphate  an  acre  a  year. 
•400  pounds  of  rock  phosphate  an  acre  a  year. 


Seeding 

Redtop  gives  best  results  when  planted  on  a  well-prepared,  com- 
pact seed  bed,  because  the  seeds  are  small  and  the  plants  delicate  when 
young. 

Redtop  is  usually  sown  broadcast.  To  obtain  a  stand  ordinarily 
requires  from  8  to  15  pounds  of  seed  an  acre,  with  an  average  of  about 
10  pounds.8*  The  amount  of  redtop  sown  at  any  one  time  depends 
upon  (1)  whether  the  seeding  is  new  or  supplementary;  (2)  whether 
the  seed  is  thresher-run  or  recleaned;  and  (3)  whether  redtop  is  seed- 
ed alone  or  with  other  grasses.  The  amount  of  recleaned  redtop  seed 
actually  used  for  seeding  at  any  one  time  probably  averages  not  more 
than  4  pounds  an  acre  and  is  seldom  as  high  as  6  pounds. 

Field-grass  mixtures  in  which  redtop  plays  a  part  are  usually  ap- 
plied in  amounts  ranging  from  10  to  20  pounds  an  acre.  The  amount 
of  redtop  in  such  mixtures  is  a  tenth  to  a  half  of  the  total  weight, 
redtop  being  used  in  the  higher  proportions  on  wet  or  poorly  drained 
soils  and  in  the  smaller  proportions  on  good,  well-drained  soils.14* 

The  time  of  seeding  redtop  varies  somewhat  with  the  cropping 
system,  tho  it  is  usually  seeded  in  the  fall.  If  seeded  after  oats  or 
soybeans,  the  seed  bed  may  be  prepared  by  thoro  disking  alone.  Seed- 


236 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


FIG.  4. — A  REDTOP  PLANT 

Redtop  is  a  perennial  grass,  growing  30  to  40  inches  in  height,  with  short, 
vigorous  footstalks.  When  redtop  is  kept  closely  clipped,  the  leaves  become  fine 
and  a  good  turf  results.  If  there  is  a  thin  stand,  the  plant  becomes  coarse  and 
the  leaves  broad.  The  blades  vary  from  3  to  7  inches  in  length  and  the  panicles 
from  3  to  11  inches. 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOH 


237 


ing  redtop  in  the  spring  on  winter  wheat  land  is  sometimes  practiced 
(Table  2). 

The  superiority  of  fall  seeding  over  spring  seeding  in  general  is 
indicated  by  the  data  in  Table  3.    No  perceptible  difference  in  yield 


TABLE  2. — INDICATED  PREFERENCES  OF  REPORTING  GROWERS  FOR  SPECIFIED  CROPS 

TO  PRECEDE  AND  TO  FOLLOW  REDTOP;  DATA  OBTAINED  FROM  14 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES" 


County 

Number 
of  farms 
reported 

Corn 

Oats 

Wheat 

Soybeans 

Cowpeas 

Before 

After 

Before 

After 

Before 

After 

Before 

After 

Before 

After 

Clay  

18 
2 
1 
6. 
1 

4 
5 
11 
8 
12 

1 
15 
IS 
4 
3 

106 

4 

17 

6 

0 

4 

1 

5 

3 

1 

1 

Clinton  
Cumberland  .... 
Edwards      

2 
0 

0 

1 
4 
0 
3 

0 
3 
4 
0 
0 

21 

4 
0 

3 
3 
8 
6 

8 

1 
14 
13 
3 
2 

82 

0 
0 

1 
0 
4 
0 

4 

0 

4 
3 
0 
1 

23 

0 
0 

0 
0 

1 
0 

1 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

2 

2 
0 

2 
2 
3 

1 
6 

0 

7 
1 
1 
2 

31 

1 
0 

0 
1 
0 
0 
0 

0 
0 

1 

0 
0 

4 

0 
1 

0 
0 

5 

1 
3 

0 
5 
5 
0 
0 

25 

1 
0 

0 
0 
3 
0 
2 

0 
3 
3 
0 
3 

18 

1 
0 

0 
1 
0 

4 
1 

1 
0 
4 
2 
0 

15 

2 
0 

0 
2 
0 
1 
0 

1 
0 

1 

0 

1 

9 

Effingham  

Fayette  

Hamilton  

Jasper  
Jefferson  

Marion  

Perry  

Richland   

Wayne  

White  

(Not  stated)  
Total  for  area... 

•Other  crops  mentioned  once  to  be  produced  before  redtop  were  legumes,  hay,  rye,  and  grain;  and 
mentioned  once  to  follow  redtop  were  sweet  clover,  kafir  corn,  and  sunflower. 


TABLE  3. — INFLUENCE  OF  DATE  OF  SEEDING  ON  YIELDS  OF  REDTOP 

SEED  AND  HAY,  NEWTON  FIELD 

(Pounds  per  acre) 


Season  harvested 

Seeded  in  October,  1926 

Seeded  in  February,  1927 

Seed 

Hay 

Seed 

Hay 

1927  .  , 

42 
69 

380 
2  220 

30 
49 

300 
2  220 

1928  

due  to  date  of  seeding  was  noticeable  by  the  time  the  third  crop  was 
produced. 

Redtop  is  sometimes  seeded  with  a  legume  such  as  sweet,  white, 
or  alsike  clover.  While  experimental  evidence  at  the  Newton  and  Odin 
fields  shows  some  benefit  to  redtop  from  associative  growth  with  sweet 
clover,  there  is  also  danger  that  a  rank  growth  of  sweet  clover  may 
starve  or  smother  the  redtop  (Table  4).  In  three  trials  out  of  five 
redtop  did  not  survive  on  the  limed  series  at  Newton.  The  plots  of 
the  regular  series,  where  sweet  clover  predominated,  produced  small 


238 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


yields  of  redtop.   At  Odin,  with  one  exception,  the  second-year  yields 
of  redtop  seeded  without  sweet  clover  were  superior  to  those  of  the 

TABLE  4. — YIELDS  OF  REDTOP  SEED  WHEN  GROWN  WITH  SWEET  CLOVER  AS  A 

COMPANION  CROP,  NEWTON  AND  ODIN  FIELDS 

(Pounds  per  acre) 


Newton  field,  lime  series 

Newton  field,  regular  series 

Odin  field,  lime  series 

Treatment* 

Seed, 
average 
1929- 
1930>> 

Treatment" 

Seed, 
average 
1932- 
1933 

Treatment 

Seed. 

with 
sw.  cl. 
1930 

Seed, 
without 
sw.  cl. 
1931 

rPK   

53 
86 
118 
96 

0.  .  . 

124 
135 
80 
70 

132 
91 
86 
90 

0.  .  . 

26 
44 
56 
52 
64 

60 
90 
78 
99 
60 

rPK,  L  3  tons  

M  

R  

rPK,  L  6  tons  

ML      

RL 

rPK,  L  12  tons  

MLrP  

RLbP     

R 

RLbPK  

RL   

RLrP  

RLrPK  

•See  footnote  b.  Table  1.  bSweet  clover  was  seeded  as  a  companion  crop  to  redtop  each 
year  from  1929  to  1933.  In  1931,  1932,  and  1933,  however,  the  sweet  clover  smothered  out  the  redtop. 
cOn  plots  designated  ML,  MLrP,  RL  and  RLrPK,  the  sweet  clover  smothered  out  the  redtop  in  1932; 
on  the  other  plots  there  were  few  if  any  sweet-clover  plants.  In  1933  there  was  no  sweet  clover. 

first  year  with  the  companion  crop.  The  increased  yields  the  second 
year  may  have  been  due  not  only  to  the  absence  of  smothering  but  also 
to  the  benefit  of  sweet-clover  residues. 

Harvesting 

Redtop  is  a  crop  that  will  stand  for  a  number  of  years,  depend- 
ing on  the  fertility  of  soil  and  the  use  made  of  the  crop.  Reporting 
producers  indicated  an  average  duration  of  six  years  for  their  redtop 
fields,  with  county  averages  ranging  from  three  years  in  Effingham  to 
fifteen  in  Clinton  (Table  5).  These  fields  were  harvested  for  seed  five 
years  out  of  six,  or  80  percent  of  the  time ;  cut  for  hay  6  percent 
of  the  time ;  and  pastured  14  percent  of  the  time.  Meadows  were  pas- 
tured 75  days  in  the  fall  and  15  days  in  the  spring.  Where  the  mead- 
ows are  pastured  for  more  of  the  years  and  harvested  for  seed  less 
often,  not  only  do  the  fields  last  longer,  but  yields  of  seed  are  in- 
creased. Pasturing  also  helps  to  prevent  the  fields  from  becoming 
weedy. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  seed  area  (Fig  2),  redtop  is  commonly 
cut  with  a  mower  for  seed  as  well  as  for  hay,  while  in  the  northern 
part  most  of  the  redtop  threshed  for  seed  is  cut  with  a  binder  (Fig. 
5).  The  mower  is  preferred  by  many  for  cutting  the  seed  crop  where 
sufficient  livestock  is  not  available  for  a  moderate  amount  of  fall 
pasturing. 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


239 


FIG.  5. — HARVESTING  AND  THRESHING  REDTOP  IN  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 
Redtop  stacks  such  as  those  in  a  are  a  common  sight  over  much  of  the  red- 
top  area  in  southern  Illinois.  These  stacks  may  be  threshed  or  fed  as  roughage 
without  removal  of  the  seed.  The  seed  crop  is  commonly  harvested  with  a 
binder  (&).  Threshing  may  be  done  directly  from  the  shock  or  after  stacking, 
suitable  time  being  allowed  for  the  stacks  to  go  thru  a  sweat.  Note  the  greater 
amount  of  stubble  on  the  ground  in  b  compared  with  a,  where  cutting  was  per- 
formed with  a  mower.  The  threshing  scene  (c)  might  be  duplicated  in  almost 
any  part  of  the  redtop  area  during  the  early  days  of  August. 


240 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


TABLE  5. — LENGTH  OF  LIFE  OF  REDTOP  FIELDS  AND  USE  MADE  OF  THEM  WHILE  IN 
REDTOP;  DATA  OBTAINED  FROM  14  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES» 


County 

Number 
of  farms 
reported 

Length 
of  life  of 
redtop 
fields  in 

Number 
of  years 
cut  for 
seed 

Number 
of  years 
cut  for 
hay 

Number 
of  years 
pastured 

Fall  pasturing 
of  meadow 

Spring  pasturing 
of  meadow 

Num- 

Num- 

years 

ber  of 

Extent 

ber  of 

Extent 

days 

days 

Clay 

18 

6 

5 

0 

1 

65 

Heavy 

10 

Medium 

Clinton  

2 

15 

15 

0 

0 

Cumberland. 

1 

Edwards  

6 

5 

2 

1 

2 

45 

Medium 

25 

Light 

Effingham.  . 

1 

3 

2 

1 

0 

Light 

0 

0 

Fayette  

4 

7 

7 

0 

0 

10 

Heavy 

0 

0 

Hamilton.  .  . 

5 

4 

3 

1 

0 

30 

Medium 

5 

Medium 

Jasner  .  . 

11 

6 

4 

1 

1 

70 

Medium 

25 

Medium 

Jefferson  

8 

5 

3 

1 

1 

45 

Medium 

10 

Light 

Marion  

12 

8 

7 

1 

0 

105 

Medium 

15 

Light 

Perry 

1 

10 

9 

o 

1 

60 

Light 

0 

0 

Richland  .... 

15 

6 

5 

0 

1 

90 

Medium 

15 

Light 

Wayne   

IS 

6 

4 

0 

2 

110 

Heavy 

15 

Light 

White  

4 

5 

5 

0 

0 

60 

Light 

15 

Light 

(Not  stated).. 

3 

6 

6 

0 

0 

30 

Light 

0 

0 

Total  for  area 

106 

6.2 

4.8 

.4 

1.0 

75 

Medium 

15 

Light 

•Each  average  for  total  area  obtained  by  dividing  by  number  reported  for  given  item. 

The  stage  at  which  redtop  is  cut  influences  both  yield  and  quality. 
In  deciding  when  to  cut,  the  producer  must  often  choose  between  a 
large  yield  of  redtop  seed  of  lower  quality  or  a  moderate  yield  of  high- 
er quality  seed.  The  proper  time  to  harvest  in  order  to  obtain  plump 
seed  with  a  distinct  silver  cast  can  be  determined  only  by  careful 
observation.  At  the  Newton  field  the  largest  seed  yields  were  obtained 
in  1928  and  1929  from  early  cuttings  (Table  6).  The  highest  quality 


TABLE  6. — YIELDS  OF  REDTOP  SEED  AS  INFLUENCED  BY  DATE  OF 

HARVEST,  NEWTON  FIELD 

(Pounds  per  acre) 


1928 


Date  of  cutting 

Bundle 

Seed 

Date  of  cutting 

Bundle 

Seed 

Julv  17    . 

1  722 

44 

July  15            

2  196 

84 

19   .... 

2   106 

62 

18        

1  908 

59 

21    

1  554 

40 

20  

1   757 

46 

23  

1   290 

31 

22  

1  994 

50 

July  25    . 

1   284 

30 

July  24  

1   712 

53 

27  

2  088 

35 

26  

1  675 

40 

29    

2  316 

47 

29  

1  685 

28 

31  

2  556 

46 

31  

2  249 

29 

Aug.    2    

2  838 

51 

Aug.   2  

2  211 

19 

2  454 

38 

6  

2  010 

38 

9  . 

2  470 

9 

8  

1  980 

31 

13... 

2   146 

7 

10   

1   770 

17 

15     

1  967 

7 

1929 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  RF.DTOP 


241 


seed  in  1928  was  that  harvested  on  July  27,  but  there  was  a  com- 
paratively low  yield.  In  1929  the  highest  yields  were  also  the  best  in 
quality.  Generally  speaking,  redtop  should  be  harvested  for  seed  not 
later  than  about  one  week  after  blooming  is  completed,  because  of  the 
danger  of  loss  of  seed  thru  shattering  if  harvesting  is  delayed  beyond 
that  time.4* 

Redtop  is  cured  and  stacked  very  much  as  timothy  is  handled.  The 
seed  crop  is  threshed  with  an  ordinary  grain  thresher  with  the  cylinder 
and  cleaning  parts  of  the  machinery  adjusted  for  redtop  threshing. 
In  some  sections  a  recleaning  attachment  is  added. 

PRODUCTION  OF  REDTOP  IN  ILLINOIS 

Redtop  is  grown  extensively  over  a  considerable  portion  of  about 
32  counties  in  southern  and  southeastern  Illinois,  altho  the  bulk  of  the 
seed  is  harvested  in  a  much  more  restricted  area.  Production  is  some- 


H  UNDER  sr. 

1S3  5ZAND  UNDER  15% 
^  ISLAND  UNDER  30X 
Igj  30t  AND  UNDER  SOZ 

•J  50ZAND  OVER 


FIG.  6. — FARMS  GROWING  REDTOP 

(OTHER  TAME  GRASSES)  CUT 

FOR  HAY  IN  32  SOUTHERN 

ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1929 


O  UNDER  5X 

EE1  52  AND  UNDER  I5Z 

§^  15%  AND  UNDER  30Z 


50%  AND  OVER 


FIG.   7. — CROP  LAND  DEVOTED  TO  RED- 
TOP  (OTHER  TAME  GRASSES)   CUT 
FOR  HAY  AND  HARVESTED  FOR 
SEED,  1929 


what  spotted  thruout  the  territory,  the  crop  being  cut  for  hay  in  1929 
on  less  than  5  percent  of  the  farms  in  some  counties  and  on  75  per- 
cent in  Wayne  county  ( Fig.  6) . 

The  proportion  of  the  total  crop  land  in  this  district  devoted  to 
redtop  for  hay  and  seed  varied  in  1929  from  less  than  5  percent  in 
11  counties  to  64  percent  in  Wayne  county  (Fig  7).  In  the  21  counties 
having  5  percent  or  more  of  the  crop  land  devoted  to  redtop  grown 
for  hay  and  seed,  the  acreage  ranked  above  that  of  all  other  crops 
in  5  counties — Wayne,  Marion,  Clay,  Richland,  and  Jefferson ;  second 
in  7  counties;  third  in  5  counties;  and  fourth  in  3  counties  (Table  7). 


242 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


£ 
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Q 
U 

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as 
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n-gi 

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1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


243 


Redtop  ranked  second  to  corn  in  acreage  for  the  area  as  a  whole. 
Nine  crops  occupied  practically  all  the  harvested  land,  and  each  rep- 
resented the  following  approximate  proportions  of  the  total  crop  acre- 
age in  the  32  counties: 


Percent 

of  crop 

area 

Corn 36 

Redtop  (hay  and  seed) 28 

Wheat 10 

Oats 8 

Timothy  and  clover  hay  (includ- 
ing timothy  for  seed) 8 


Percent 

of  crop 

area 

Annual  legumes 3 

Soybeans 3 

Clovers  (red,   mammoth,   alsike, 

and  all  clovers  for  seed) 3 

Cowpeas 2 


Farms  in  the  redtop  district  of  Illinois  that  produce  the  greatest 
quantities  of  redtop  have  an  average  area  of  224  acres,  or  about  twice 
that  of  the  average-sized  farm  of  the  district.  All  farms  have  about 
the  same  proportion  of  the  land  in  harvested  crops  (Table  8).  The 


TABLE  8. — ACREAGE  IN  FARMS,  IN  CULTIVATED  CROPS,  AND  IN  REDTOP  REPORTED  IN 
14  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1932* 


County 

Number 
of  farms 
reported 

Acres  in  farms 

Acres  in  culti- 
vated crops 

Acres  in  redtop 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Clay  

18 
2 
1 
6 
1 

4 
5 
11 
8 
12 

1 

15 
15 
4 
3 

106 

4  356 
557 
280 
1   335 
199 

1  007 
510 
2  662 
1   220 
2  733 

80 
3  949 
3  117 
698 
360 

23  063 

242 
278 
280 
222 
199 

252 
128 
242 
152 
249 

80 
263 
208 
174 
180 

224 

2  436 
438 
230 
569 
60 

565 
329 
1  005 
358 
1   239 

20 
1   744 
844 
385 
245 

10  467 

134 
219 
230 
114 
60 

141 
82 
91 
51 
113 

20 
116 
56 
96 

82 

103 

1  396 
96 
10 

345 
40 

152 
281 
1  071 
345 
920 

50 
1   606 
1  642 
255 
161 

8  370 

78 
48 
10 
58 
40 

38 
56 
97 
43 

77 

50 
107 
109 
64 

54 

79 

Clinton  

Cumberland  

Edwards  

Effingham    

Fayette  

Hamilton  

Jasper.  .  . 

Jefferson  

Marion  

Perry       

Richland  .  . 

Wayne      

White  

(Not  stated)  
Total  for  area  

•Each  average  obtained  by  dividing  by  number  reported  for  given  item. 


farms  reporting  the  uses  made  of  their  redtop  grew  an  average  of  84 
acres  per  farm,  and  pastured  40  acres  without  cutting  it.  Of  the  44 
acres  cut  per  farm,  an  average  of  42  acres  was  harvested  for  seed, 
leaving  only  2  acres  cut  for  hay  (Table  9). 

The  total  acreage  in  redtop  in  Illinois  in  1929  was  approximately 
as  follows: 


244 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


Redtop  area  in  Illinois 
Percent  of 
Acres      total  farm  land 

Redtop  hay 382  000  1.2 

Redtop  seed 226000  .7 

Redtop  pasture 572000  1.9 

Total 1   180  000  3.8 


Redtop  area  in  32  counties 

Percent  of 

Acres     total  farm  land 
362  000  5.3 

225  000  3.3 

530  000  7.8 

1   117  000  16.4 


TABLE  9. — ACREAGE  OF  REDTOP  CUT,  PASTURED,  AND  HARVESTED  FOR  SEED 
REPORTED  IN  14  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1932 


County 

Number 
of  farms 
reported 

Acres  of  redtop  cut 
(all  purposes) 

Acres  of  redtop  pas- 
tured (not  cut) 

Acres  of  redtop 
harvested  for  seed* 

Total 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Clay      

18 
2 

1 
6 
1 

4 
5 
11 
8 
12 

1 

15 
15 

4 
3 

106 

772 
96 
10 
145 
40 

92 
145 
806 
218 
394 

30 
887 
753 
70 
140 

4  598 

43 
48 
10 

24 
40 

23 
29 
81 
27 
33 

30 
59 
50 
18 

47 

44 

624 
0 
0 
200 
0 

60 
136 
265 
127 
526 

20 
719 
889 
185 
21 

3  772 

37 
0 
0 
50 
0 

20 
27 
29 
18 

48 

20 
51 
64 
46 

7 

40 

752 
96 
10 
110 
40 

92 
88 
806 
143 
376 

30 
867 
681 
50 
120 

4  261 

42 
48 
10 
28 
40 

23 
22 
73 
24 
31 

30 
58 
49 
12 
40 

42 

Clinton  

Edwards  

Effingliarn    

Fayette  

Hamilton  

Jefferson  

Marion  

Perry        

Richland  

Wayne  

White  

(Not  stated)  

Total  for  area   

•Each  average  obtained  by  dividing  by  number  reported  for  given  item. 


Seed 

Acreage. — Redtop  harvested  for  seed  in  Illinois  has  varied  in  acre- 
age from  year  to  year,  and  has  shown  considerable  tendency  to  be  up 
for  two  years  and  then  down  for  two  years.  The  acreage  harvested 
for  seed  continued  upward  thru  1931  and  then  moved  downward 
rather  sharply.  Acreage  harvested  for  seed  in  the  state  during  1922- 
1932  ranged  from  150,000  acres  in  1922  to  272,700  in  1931  with  an 
average  of  204,800  for  the  period  1922-1933  (Table  10). 

A  study  of  acreage  of  redtop  harvested  for  seed,  by  counties  in 
Illinois,  indicates  that  the  bulk  of  the  seed  is  produced  in  a  more  re- 
stricted area  than  is  the  hay,  but  is  centered  in  the  same  counties 
(Fig.  8). 

Yield. — Yield  of  redtop  seed  averaged  54  pounds  an  acre  for  the 
period  1922-1932  but  varied  from  30  pounds  in  1925  to  75  pounds  in 
1927  (Table  10).  Variation  in  yield  from  year  to  year  has  been  a 
greater  factor  in  variation  in  production  than  has  change  in  total 


19341 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


245 


TABLE  10. — ACREAGE,  YIELD,  AND  PRODUCTION  OF  REDTOP  HARVESTED 

FOR  SEED,  UNITED  STATES' 

(In  carlots  of  30,000  pounds) 


Year 

Acres 
threshed1" 

Yield 
per  acre 

Production 
(carlots) 

1922  

150  000 

Ibs. 
65 

325 

1923   

160  700 

70 

380 

1924  

162  900 

65 

350 

1925  

200  000 

30 

200 

1926   

183  300 

45 

275 

1927  

240  000 

75 

600 

1928  

237  500 

60 

475 

1929  

214  900 

37 

265 

1930     

208  300 

36 

250 

1931  

272  700 

66 

600 

1932  

256  500 

62 

530 

1933  

171  400 

35 

200 

Average  

204  800 

54 

370 

•Proportion  outside  of  Illinois  averaged  less  than  5  percent  of  total.  bCalculated  on  basis  of  total 
production  and  yields  per  acre. 

acreage.  Differences  in  yield  from  county  to  county  were  pronounced 
during  both  1931  and  1932.  Counties  in  the  northern  half  of  the  seed- 
producing  area  tended  to  show  higher  yields  than  those  in  the  southern 
half  (Table  11). 

Production. — Domestic  production  of  redtop  seed  averaged  370 
carloads  or  11,120,000  pounds  of  cleaned  seed  for  the  period  1922- 
1933  (Table  10).  There  was  a  wide  variation  from  year  to  year, 


TABLE  11. — ACREAGE  OF  REDTOP  HARVESTED  FOR  SEED,  YIELD  OF  SEED,  AND  YIELD 
OF  STRAW  PER  ACRE  REPORTED  IN  14  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES 


County 

Number 
of  farms 
reported 

Acres  in  farms 

Average  yield  of 
clean  seed 

Average  yield 
of  straw 

1931 

1932 

1931 

1932 

1931 

1932 

Clay  

18 
2 
1 
6 

1 

4 

5 
11 
8 
12 

1 
15 
15 

4 
3 

106 

741 
96 
10 
168 
40 

82 
138 
878 
232 
616 

45 
897 
867 
80 
150 

5  033 

752 
96 
10 
110 
40 

92 
88 
806 
143 
376 

30 
867 
681 
50 
120 

4  261 

Ibs. 
68 
78 
120 
73 
88 

67 
45 
67 
40 

75 

19 
63 
63 
62 
53 

65 

Ibs. 
64 

120 
58 
88 

68 
14 
73 
36 
88 

64 
51 
46 

98 

66 

tons 
.63 
.70 
.70 
.79 
.25 

.44 
.80 
.55 
.67 
.69 

.31 
.70 
.76 
.75 
.36 

.66 

tons 
.66 

169 

.25 

.44 
.50 
.58 
.69 
.62 

'.62 
.57 
.62 
.50 

.60 

Clinton  

Cumberland  

Edwards  

Effingham  

Fayette  

Hamilton  

Jasper  

Jefferson  

Marion  

Perry  

Richland        

Wayne  

White  

(Not  stated)    

Total  for  area  

•Each  average  obtained  by  dividing  by  number  reported  for  given  item. 


246 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


production  being  as  low  as  200  carloads  in  1925  and  1933  and  as  high 
as  600  carloads  in  1927  and  1931.  Production  per  farm  for  reporting 
farms  in  the  Illinois  redtop  district  in  1931  and  1932  averaged  about 


•  =  1,000  ACRES 


FIG.  8. — SEED  ACREAGE  OF  REDTOP  IN  32  SOUTHERN 

ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1929 

Redtop  seed  acreage  (other  tame  grasses)  gives  the  same  picture  as  redtop 
seed  production  except  for  slightly  greater  yields  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
territory.  Nearly  75  percent  of  the  total  redtop  acreage  harvested  for  seed  in 
Illinois  in  1929  was  in  Wayne,  Clay,  Marion,  and  Richland  counties.  In  Jasper, 
Clinton,  Jefferson,  Edwards,  and  Fayette  counties  a  considerable  acreage  was 
harvested  for  seed,  the  total  in  the  five  counties  amounting  to  20  percent  of  the 
total  Illinois  redtop  acreage  harvested  for  seed  in  that  year. 


1100 


1923       1924        1925        1926        1927        1926        1929        1930       1931     1932      1933 


FIG.  9. — SUPPLY,  PRODUCTION,  AND  CARRYOVER  OF  REDTOP  SEED  IN 

THE  UNITED  STATES  FOR  THE  CROP  YEARS  1923-1933 

Except  for  the  decrease  in  production  in  1929  and  1930,  and  some  decrease 
in  carryover  in  1930  and  1931,  conditions  have  been  conducive  to  a  piling  up  of 
redtop  supplies  since  1926. 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


247 


3,000  pounds  of  cleaned  seed,  ranging  from  1,200  pounds  in  each  of 
four  counties  to  more  than  5,000  pounds  in  Jasper  (Table  12).  The 
average  production  per  farm  for  the  four  leading  redtop-producing 
counties  of  Wayne,  Marion,  Clay,  and  Richland  (Table  7,  page  242) 
was  about  3,400  pounds. 

TABLE  12. — ACREAGE  AND  PRODUCTION  OF  REDTOP  SEED  REPORTED  IN 
14  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES* 


County 

Number 
of  farms 
reported 

Acres  in  farms 

Production  of  clean  seed 

1931 

1932 

1931 

1932 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Total 

Average 
per  farm 

Clay     

18 
2 
1 
6 
1 

4 
5 
11 
8 
12 

1 
15 
15 
4 
3 

106 

741 
96 
10 
168 
40 

82 
138 
878 
232 
616 

45 
897 
867 
80 
150 

5  033 

752 
96 
10 
110 
40 

92 
88 
806 
143 
376 

30 
867 
681 
50 
120 

4  261 

Ibs. 
37  428 
7  531 
1  200 
10  126 
3  500 

5  480 
6  162 
52  397 
7  262 
43  678 

855 
49  948 
52  957 
4  921 
7  948 

291  393 

Ibs. 
2  495 
3  766 
1  200 
2  025 
3  500 

1   370 
1   232 
5  240 
1  037 
3  971 

855 
3  842 
4  413 
1   230 
2  649 

3   100 

Ibs. 
48  055 

i  266 

6  396 
3  500 

6  290 
840 
53  366 
4  822 
29  570 

Ibs. 
2  670 

i'200 
1  599- 
3  50O 

1  57? 
210- 
5  33T 
1   206- 
2  957 

Clinton  

Cumberland  

Edwards  

Effingham    

Fayette  

Hamilton  

Jasper  

Jefferson  

Marion  

Perry  

Richland 

51  926 
33  495 
920 
9  840 

250  220 

3  709 
3  045 
307 
4  920 

2  910 

Wayne   

White  

(Not  stated)  

Total  for  area   . 

•Each  average  obtained  by  dividing  by  number  reported  for  given  item. 

Carryover. — In  addition  to  the  yearly  production  of  redtop  seed 
the  carryover  has  been  significant  in  determining  the  total  supply 
available  for  commercial  consumption  from  year  to  year.  Carryover 
was  small  prior  to  the  extraordinarily  large  crop  of  1927  but  has  been 
a  vital  factor  in  contributing  to  the  large  supply  available  since  the 
time  that  the  1928  crop  entered  market  channels  (Fig.  9). 

When  production  and  carryover  are  combined  to  obtain  total  sup- 
ply of  seed,  the  resulting  figures  show  an  increase  from  the  low  total1 
of  310  carloads  in  1926  to  1,040  carloads  in  1933. 

Straw 

Yield. — The  acre-yield  of  redtop  straw  (a  byproduct  of  redtop 
threshed  for  seed)  for  1931  and  1932  on  the  reported  farms  was  about 
.66  and  .60  ton  respectively  (Table  11).  This  was  about  five-sixths 
of  the  yield  of  redtop  hay  obtained  during  these  two  years.  The  differ- 
ence in  yield  is  attributed  to  loss  of  weight  of  seed  in  threshing  and- 
to  extra  stubble  remaining  in  the  meadow  when  cut  with  a  binder. 


248 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


Production. — Redtop  straw  has  not  been  given  much  market  con- 
sideration in  recent  years,  the  commercial  outlet  for  it  having  largely 
disappeared.  Nevertheless  redtop  straw  adds  materially  to  the  avail- 
able supply  of  winter  roughage  on  farms  in  the  redtop  district.  Calcu- 
lated on  the  basis  of  ( 1 )  estimated  number  of  acres  harvested  for  seed 
in  Illinois  in  1931  and  (2)  acre-yield  of  straw  as  reported  to  the  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station,  a  total  of  more  than  160,000  tons  of 
redtop  straw  was  available  for  feed  from  the  1931  crop. 

Hay 

Acreage. — The  downward  trend  in  acreage  of  redtop  haya  from 
390,000  acres  in  1924  to  224,000  in  1932  and  the  yearly  variations 
(Table  13)  are  understandable  in  the  light  of  changing  prices  of  red- 


TABLE  13. — ACREAGE,  YIELD,  AND  PRODUCTION  OF  "OTHER  MISCELLANEOUS 

HAY"  IN  ILLINOIS 


Year 

Acres  in  hay 

Yield  per  acre 

Production 

1919  

355  000 

tons 
.80 

tons 
284  000 

1920  

314  000 

.80 

251  000 

1921  

342  000 

.90 

308  000 

1922  

335  000 

.80 

268  000 

1923  

344  000 

.95 

327  000 

1924  

390  000 

.80 

312  000 

1925  

234  000 

.60 

140  000 

1926  

269  000 

.70 

188  000 

1927  ...     

296  000 

.90 

266  000 

1928  

326  000 

80 

261  000 

1929  

329  000 

.80 

263  000 

1930  

280  000 

.60 

168  000 

1931  

280  000 

.75 

210  000 

1932  

224  000 

.75 

168  000 

Average  1923-1932   

297  000 

.77 

230  000 

top  seed  discussed  on  pages  265  to  272.  Statistics  for  the  32  counties 
in  the  redtop  district  show  that  18  counties  had  an  increase  in  redtop 
acreage  cut  for  hay  between  1919  and  1924,  and  then  a  decrease  be- 


•Redtop  hay  acreage  as  such  is  not  reported  by  either  the  Illinois  Crop  Re- 
porting Service  or  the  Federal  Census  but  is  reported  under  the  classifications 
of  "other  miscellaneous  hay"  and  "other  tame  grasses"  respectively.  In  both 
classifications  such  other  hays  as  millet,  Sudan,  etc.,  are  included,  but  they  con- 
stitute a  small  proportion  of  the  total  for  Illinois  and  particularly  so  for  the 
important  redtop  counties.  The  classifications  of  hays  used  in  the  1930  Census 
were:  all  hays,  timothy  and  timothy  and  clover  mixed;  clovers,  red,  alsike, 
and  mammoth ;  clovers,  sweet,  crimson,  and  Japan ;  clovers  alone,  all  kinds ; 
alfalfa,  other  tame  grasses;  wild  grasses  cut  on  farms;  small  grains  cut  for 
hay;  and  annual  legumes  cut  for  hay.** 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


249 


tween  1924  and  1929  (Fig.  10).  Only  7  counties— Bond,  Fayette, 
Hamilton,  Jefferson,  Lawrence,  Union,  and  Wayne — showed  an  in- 
crease in  acreage  thruout  the  period  1919-1929. 


1929-424.0 
1924-472.2 
1919  -355.4 


FIG.  10. — ACREAGE  OF  REDTOP  CUT  FOR  HAY  IN  32  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

COUNTIES,  1919,  1924,  AND  1929  (Thousands  of  acres) 

Marked  increase  in  redtop  hay  acreage  (other  tame  grasses)  for  1929  over 
1924  was  concentrated  in  Wayne,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  Hamilton,  and  White 
counties.  The  32  counties  in  the  redtop  district  contained  more  than  95  percent 
of  the  redtop  hay  acreage  in  Illinois  in  1929. 


Redtop  hay  acreage  represented  over  two-fifths  of  the  total  acreage 
of  all  crops  cut  for  hay  in  1929  in  these  32  counties  and  over  three- 
fifths  in  the  16  of  the  32  counties  having  the  most  redtop  hay.  The 
relative  proportion  which  each  of  the  different  hay  acreages  repre- 
sented of  the  total  was  as  follows: 


32  16 

counties  counties 

perct.  percl. 

Other  tame  grasses.. ..  44.1  62.1 
Timothy,   mixed  with 

clover  and  unmixed  31.2  21.1 

Annual  legumes 12.2  10.2 

Clovers — red,  alsike, 

and  mammoth..         8.1  4.1 


32  16 

counties  counties 

pent.  perct. 

Alfalfa... 2.4  1.0 

Small  grain 9  .6 

Wild  grasses 6  .5 

Clovers — sweet,    crim- 
son, and  Japan 6  .3 


Yield. — Yields  of  redtop  hay  in  Illinois  for  the  ten-year  period 
1923-1932  ranged  from  .60  ton  an  acre  in  1925  and  1930  to  .95  ton  in 


250 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


1923  and  averaged  .77  ton  (Table  13).  This  average  yield  was  about 
two-thirds  of  the  average  for  all  tame  hay  in  Illinois  and  five-sixths 
of  the  average  yield  of  tame  hay  in  the  32  redtop  counties. 

Production. — Production  of  redtop  hay  in  Illinois  averaged  230,000 
tons  for  the  ten-year  period  1923-1932,  ranging  from  327,000  tons  in 


=  500  TONS 


FIG.  11. — PRODUCTION  OF  HAY  FROM  REDTOP  IN  32 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1929 

Redtop  hay  production  (other  tame  grasses)  has  been  rather  dense  over 
most  of  these  32  counties  except  for  the  counties  in  the  north  and  west  tiers. 
Wayne,  Jefferson,  Marion,  Clay,  Hamilton,  and  Richland  counties  produced 
more  than  55  percent  of  the  state's  total  production  of  redtop  hay  in  1929. 


1923  to  140,000  tons  in  1925  (Table  13).  The  32  redtop  counties  pro- 
duced more  than  95  percent  of  the  total  amount  of  redtop  hay  in  Illi- 
nois in  1929  (Fig.  11). 

Pasture 

Acreage. — Adequate  information  concerning  acreage  devoted  to 
redtop  pasture  as  such  is  not  available.  From  a  comparison  of  hay 
and  pasture  acreage  for  the  redtop  district  and  for  the  entire  state,  a 
fair  estimate  of  the  amount  of  pasture  that  was  predominantly  redtop 
in  1929  would  seem  to  be  about  530,000  acres  for  the  32  counties  in 
the  redtop  district  and  572,000  acres  for  the  state  (see  page  244).  The 
proportion  of  farm  land  devoted  to  all  pasture  for  the  32  counties  as 
a  whole  was  19.1  percent  and  to  redtop  pasture  for  the  reporting 
farms,  18.2  percent. 

Yield. — No  record  was  obtained  on  pasture  yields  but  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  figure  the  pasturage  from  3  acres  as  sufficient  to  maintain  an 
animal  unit  (mature  cow  or  horse)  thru  an  average  pasture  season  of 
approximately  180  days.  This  gives  about  60  pasture  days  an  acre 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  251 

from  redtop  used  exclusively  for  pasture.  In  addition  to  the  acreage 
of  redtop  used  exclusively  for  pasture,  most  redtop  fields  harvested  for 
hay  or  seed  are  pastured  lightly  for  about  15  days  in  the  spring  and 
about  75  days  in  the  fall  after  the  crop  is  harvested.  This  amounts  to 
about  25  pasture  days  an  acre  from  harvested  areas.  (Table  5,  page 
240) 


FIG.  12. — CATTLE  ARE  GRAZED  EXTENSIVELY  ON  REDTOP 

PASTURES  IN  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

Redtop  is  an  important  part  of  most  pastures  in  southern  Illinois,  and 
cattle  are  the  most  important  livestock  grazed  on  these  pastures. 

Production. — On  the  basis  of  25  pasture-days  from  each  acre  of 
redtop  meadow  and  60  pasture-days  from  each  acre  of  redtop  pasture, 
as  estimated  for  1929,  a  total  yearly  amount  sufficient  to  carry  200,000 
animals  for  200  days  was  available  in  the  32  counties  of  the  Illinois 
redtop  district,  and  in  the  state  as  a  whole  an  amount  sufficient  to 
carry  225,000  animals  for  200  days. 

DISPOSITION  MADE  OF  THE  REDTOP  CROP 
IN  ILLINOIS 

Hay. — Altho  there  was  an  average  yearly  production  of  230,000 
tons  of  redtop  hay  in  Illinois  during  the  ten-year  period  1923-1932, 
practically  none  entered  commercial  channels  during  the  last  five  years 
of  this  period.  The  commercial  outlet  for  redtop  hay  has  almost  dis- 


252 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


appeared  along  with  the  marked  contraction  in  the  timothy  hay  mar- 
ket. That  growers  have  made  some  adjustment  to  the  new  situation  is 
indicated  by  the  25-percent  reduction  in  the  amount  of  hay  produced 
for  the  period  1928-1932  compared  with  the  period  1919-1923. 

Commercial  movement  in  recent  years  has  been  restricted  almost 
entirely  to  local  purchases.  Supply  has  been  above  local  requirements 
frequently,  however,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  farm  stacks  of  hay 
two  and  three  years  old.  This  surplus  was  increased  somewhat  in  the 


TABLE  14. — PRODUCTION,  CARRYOVER,  AND  DISAPPEARANCE  OF 

REDTOP  SEED,  UNITED  STATES' 

(In  carlots  of  30,000  pounds) 


Crop 

Supply 

Disappear- 

Stocks  at 

Total 

Crop 

Carryover 

1922  

325 

large 

90 

1923  

470 

380 

90 

340 

130 

1924  

475 

350 

125 

350 

125 

1925  

325 

200 

J25 

290 

35 

1926  

310 

275 

35 

285 

25 

1927  

625 

600 

25 

375 

250 

1928  

700 

475 

225 

350 

350 

1929  

615 

265 

350 

340 

275 

1930  

525 

250 

275 

315 

210 

1931  

810 

600 

210 

300 

510 

1932  

1  040 

530 

510 

300 

740 

1933  

940 

200 

740 

Average  1923-1933  

590 

390 

195 

325 

365 

•Proportion  outside  of  Illinois  averaged  less  than  5  percent. 


three  years  1931-1933  as  a  consequence  of  the  low  price  of  seed.  Or- 
dinarily the  surplus  stacks  would  have  been  threshed  for  seed  within  a 
year. 

Straw. — Many  farmers  in  the  redtop  district  consider  redtop  straw 
to  be  almost  as  desirable  as  redtop  hay  for  roughage ;  others  even 
prefer  a  feed  from  which  the  seed  has  been  removed.  Where  redtop 
seed  is  retained  in  the  feed,  livestock  tend  to  slobber  and  because  of 
the  bitter  taste  of  the  seed  do  not  relish  it. 

During  the  period  when  there  was  a  good  commercial  market  for 
hay,  redtop  straw  possessed  a  market  demand  as  well,  but  very  little 
straw  now  moves  into  commercial  channels  for  feeding  purposes.  A 
small  amount  of  redtop  straw  has  been  purchased  by  paper-box  con- 
cerns but  the  price  has  been  so  low  that  there  has  been  little  margin 
available  for  absorbing  transportation  costs. 

In  recent  years  producers  have  faced  the  problem  of  dividing  the 
acreage  on  individual  farms  in  such  a  way  between  redtop  used  pri- 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


253 


marily  for  pasture  and  that  harvested  for  seed  that  sufficient  livestock 
might  be  carried  to  utilize  all  of  the  roughage  produced. 

Seed. — For  some  years  past  redtop  seed  has  been  the  only  product 
from  the  redtop  crop  having  a  commercial  outlet.  Yearly  supplies 
showed  a  strong  upward  trend  during  the  ten-year  period  1923-1932 
because  of  increase  both  in  production  and  carryover,  while  disap- 
pearance of  seed  showed  only  a  very  slight  trend  upward  (Table  14 
and  Fig.  13). 

Except  as  retained  to  meet  the  relatively  small  planting  require- 
ments of  near-by  producers,  the  redtop  seed  crop  which  is  used  entire- 


1923        '34 


30 


'31        1932 


FIG.  13. — SUPPLY  AND  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  REDTOP  SEED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

FOR  THE  CROP  YEARS  1923-1932,  AND  PRICES  PAID  TO  PRODUCERS 
While  redtop  supplies  have  increased  greatly  since  1926,  disappearance  has 
remained   stable.    Price  has   reacted   sharply  to   changes   in    supplies  but   only 
slightly  to  variations  in  disappearance. 


ly  for  seed  plantings  must  go  into  commercial  channels.  The  crop 
is  harvested  mainly  during  the  second  half  of  July  and  moves  rapidly 
out  of  the  growers'  hands.  During  1922-1932  an  average  of  20  per- 
cent moved  out  of  growers'  hands  by  August  15,  65  percent  by 
September  15,  85  percent  by  October  15,  and  90  percent  by  November 
15  (Table  15). 

Information  concerning  the  movement  of  redtop  seed  out  of  local 
dealers'  hands  indicates  in  part  where  the  seed  has  been  utilized.  In 
approximate  terms  the  movement  for  the  1931  crop,  expressed  in  per- 
centage of  supply  moved  to  reported  destinations,  was  as  follows: 


254 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


Percent  of 
supply 

To  Chicago 60 

To  Louisville 10 

To  Buffalo  and  other  New  York 
points 15 


Percent  of 
supply 

To  Cincinnati 5 

To  Kentucky  and  Tennessee ...     5 
To  all  other  points 5 


.  A  further  indication  of  the  widespread  distribution  of  redtop  sales 
is  afforded  in  the  reports  of  retail  sales  published  annually  by  the  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics,  and  covering  at  least  a  part  of  the 


TABLE  15. — PROPORTION  OF  REDTOP  SEED  CROP  MOVED  OUT  OF  HANDS  OF 

GROWERS  BY  FOUR  SPECIFIED  DATES 

(In  percent  of  total  crop) 


Year 

Date  of  starting 
general  harvesting 

Aug.  15 

Sept.  15 

Oct.  15 

Nov.  15 

1922  

July    8 

25 

85 

90 

1923  

5 

65 

75 

1924  

20 

60 

70 

1925  

July  16 

40 

85 

95 

1926  

July  18 

10 

65 

85-90 

1927  

July  17 

5 

50 

75 

90 

1928  

July  19 

5 

60 

85-90 

90-95 

1929  

July  18 

10 

65 

85-90 

1930  

July  14 

65 

90 

95 

1931  

July  13 

5 

35 

50-55 

85-90 

1932  

July  12 

30 

70 

80 

Average  

July  15 

20 

65 

85 

90 

TABLE  16. — RELATIVE  VOLUME  OF  RETAIL  SALES  OF  REDTOP  SEED  BY  STATES 

(1923  sales  =  100) 


State 

1924 

1925 

1926 

1927 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

1933 

Average 
1923- 
1933 

New  England  

100 

110 

99 

96 

97 

91 

92 

88 

91 

100 

96 

New  York  

135 

122 

116 

115 

115 

108 

114 

115 

115 

115 

115 

112 

114 

128 

118 

142 

146 

133 

140 

140 

28 

118 

100 

108 

109 

106 

120 

114 

113 

113 

101 

86 

104 

Maryland  

85 

S.  E.  states  

107 

125 

108 

108 

118 

106 

119 

125 

101 

61 

107 

Tennessee  

96 

104 

94 

87 

91 

92 

86 

80 

61 

73 

89 

Kentucky  

109 

122 

105 

117 

121 

129 

135 

123 

119 

113 

118 

Ohio  

100 

100 

95 

90 

93 

89 

86 

81 

75 

68 

89 

Indiana  

97 

98 

99 

99 

98 

96 

97 

91 

82 

86 

95 

Illinois  

103 

108 

104 

107 

106 

120 

116 

114 

107 

107 

108 

Iowa  

100 

104 

100 

114 

133 

133 

133 

134 

137 

123 

119 

101 

102 

100 

95 

96 

108 

111 

118 

112 

90 

103 

Michigan  

105 

99 

91 

102 

109 

101 

101 

101 

102 

92 

100 

Wisconsin  

98 

98 

149 

153 

168 

165 

167 

167 

174 

157 

145 

Minnesota  

104 

104 

95 

100 

98 

109 

104 

96 

93 

98 

100 

North  Dakota    

100 

105 

87 

South  Dakota  

99 

95 

89 

80 

82 

76 

85 

80 

81 

65 

85 

Nebraska  

97 

98 

97 

89 

85 

84 

82 

74 

90* 

Kansas  

102 

102 

93 

94 

97 

95 

96 

94 

101 

91 

96 

Idaho  

93 

98 

96 

112 

95 

91 

91 

86 

83 

94b 

Washington  

100 

103 

101 

114 

117 

125 

125 

120 

102 

102 

110 

120 

131 

131 

121 

•Nine-year  average  1923-1931.    bTen-year  average  1923-1932. 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


255 


period  1922-1932  for  all  states  except  Arizona,  California,  Nevada, 
New  Mexico,  Utah,  and  Wyoming.  The  reports  are  shown  not  as 
absolute  amounts  of  seed  sold  at  retail,  but  as  index  numbers  of 
the  amount  of  the  current  year's  sales  with  1923  sales  as  a  base 
(Table  16). 

Most  of  the  redtop  seed  has  been  utilized  in  the  eastern  half  of  the 
United  States  north  of  the  southern  line  of  Tennessee. 

COMPETITION  BETWEEN  REDTOP  AND 
OTHER  GRASS  SEEDS 

In  earlier  years  much  of  the  surplus  redtop  seed  was  exported,  but 
more  recently  because  of  tariff  duties  and  other  adverse  trade  condi- 
tions fewer  foreign  shipments  have  been  made.  While  the  export  out- 
let has  been  at  least  temporarily  clogged,  it  is  not  correct  to  assume 
that  exportation  has  been  cut  off  entirely. 

Local  handlers  of  redtop  seed  in  Illinois  were  interviewed  in  1932 
to  determine  the  ultimate  uses  made  of  the  redtop  seed  sold  by  them 


TABLE  17. — COMPOSITION  AND  DIGESTIBLE  NUTRIENTS  OF  REDTOP  AND  OTHER  HAYS 

COMMONLY  PRODUCED  IN  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

(Expressed  in  percent) 


Hay 

Water 

Ash 

Crude 
protein 

Carbohydrates 

Fats 

Digestible 
nutrients 

Crude 
fiber 

Nitro- 
gen free 
extract 

Protein 

Carbo- 
hydrate 
equiva- 
lent' 

Redtop  

8.9 
12.5 
10.3 
6.4 

8.4 
9.7 
7.9 
12.9 

5.2 
5.4 
7.9 

4.7 

8.9 
12.9 
6.2 
6.9 

7.9 
6.8 
8.8 
5.9 

15.8 
17.5 
11.9 
13.6 

28.6 
28.3 
27.0 
37.4 

24.3 
20.5 
28.5 
24.1 

47.5 
44.3 
43.3 
43.6 

38.8 
36.6 
42.7 
39.1 

1.9 
2.7 
2.7 
2.0 

3.8 
2.8 
2.8 
3.4 

4.8 
3.3 
5.1 
3.1 

11.2 
11.9 
7.9 
8.3 

49.1 
44.7 
48.3 
45.4 

44.0 
37.0 
44.8 
43.2 

Timothy  

Millet    . 

Rye  

Soybeans  

Cowpeas  

Lespedeza  

Red  clover  

•Includes  the  digestible  crude  fiber  and  nitrogen-free  extract  plus  2  Ji  times  the  digestible  fats. 


from  1931  crop.  On  the  basis  of  the  order  in  which  the  handlers  men- 
tioned the  various  uses  and  the  number  of  times  each  use  was  men- 
tioned, the  following  rankings  would  seem  to  indicate  the  relative  im- 
portance of  the  various  uses: 


1.  Lawn-grass  mixtures 

2.  Pasture  mixtures 

3.  Golf-course  mixtures 


4.  Meadows 

5.  Binding  terraces  and  roadsides,  and 

preventing  erosion 


256  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

With  more  attention  being  centered  on  obtaining  better  lawns  and  pas- 
tures, the  use  of  redtop  seed  in  mixtures  for  these  purposes  has  shown 
considerable  increase  during  the  last  few  years. 

As  a  tame  hay  grass  redtop  ranks  next  to  timothy  and  is  an  impor- 
tant part  of  nearly  all  hay  crops  in  New  England,  New  York,  and 
Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  in  much  of  the  wet  land  in  hilly  regions  of 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  and  Virginia.  In  the  corn  belt 
redtop  cannot  compete  with  timothy  on  the  better  soils.  Redtop  hay  is 
not  commonly  ranked  as  the  equal  of  timothy  hay  for  feeding,  altho 
analyses  indicate  that  they  are  on  a  par  with  one  another  in  composi- 
tion and  digestible  nutrients  (Table  17).  Timothy  hay  is  more  pala- 
table than  redtop  and  deteriorates  less  rapidly  when  overripe. 

Estimates  of  annual  production  and  consumption  on  a  clean-seed 
basis  of  Kentucky  bluegrass  and  redtop  seed13*  are  practically  equal 
for  the  ten  years  1924-1933: 

Production  Consumption            Total 

Ibs.  Ibs.                      Ibs. 

Kentucky  bluegrass  seed 9  815  000  10  000  000  19  815  000 

Redtop  seed 11  255  000  9  000  000  20  255  000 

In  pasture  mixtures  competition  between  redtop  and  bluegrass  has 
been  of  minor  importance,  but  between  redtop  and  timothy  the  compe- 
tition has  been  somewhat  keener.  Less  than  15  percent  of  the  timothy 
seed  production  of  the  United  States  is  produced  in  Illinois. 

Both  Kentucky  bluegrass  and  redtop  seed  are  important  consti- 
tuents of  lawn-grass  mixtures.  For  most  lawn-grass  mixtures  Ken- 
tucky bluegrass  is  considered  the  base  but  may  be  displaced  in  part 
by  the  bent  grasses,  and  for  shady  lawns  by  Poa  trivialis  (rough- 
stalked  meadow  grass)  and  fescues.  Redtop  seed  finds  an  important 
place  in  all  such  mixtures.  Some  rye  grass  is  added  as  a  companion 
crop,  the  amount  being  determined  largely  by  the  price  at  which  the 
mixture  is  to  sell. 

A  lawn-grass  mixture  for  general  purposes  usually  contains  Ken- 
tucky bluegrass,  redtop,  one  or  more  fescues,  some  rye  grass,3  and 
frequently  white  clover.  Redtop  develops  quickly  and  is  fairly  lasting. 

Assuming  viability  of  seed  as  indicated  by  the  following  percent- 
ages of  germination,  desirable  ratios  for  lawn-grass  mixtures  for  gen- 
eral use  in  the  corn-belt  states  would  be: 


•Timothy  is  often  substituted  in  part  for  rye  grass.  Rye  grass  and  timothy 
grow  quickly  but  are  not  permanent  and  therefore  serve  only  as  nurse  crops 
for  the  permanent  grasses. 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  257 

Minimum  Proportion  in 

germination  mixture 

perct.  perct. 

Kentucky  bluegrass 80  20-40 

Redtop 90  20-40 

Rye  grass 85  15-30 

Fescues 90  5-20 

White  clover. 90  5 

The  proportion  of  redtop  in  lawn-grass  mixtures  should  be  near 
the  upper  limits,  as  indicated  above,  for  use  on  the  poorer  soils,  on 
rather  acid  soils,  on  wet  soils,  and  on  other  soils  if  seeded  late  in  the 
season. 

A  survey  made  in  193 11S*  of  grass  seeds  used  for  golf  courses  in 
the  United  States  indicated  that  competition  of  redtop  seed  in  mix- 
tures for  this  use  was  mainly  with  Kentucky  bluegrass  and  with 
fescues  and  other  bent  grasses.  The  varieties  of  grass  seeds  used  on 
golf  courses  and  the  percentage  each  was  of  the  total  thus  purchased 
were  as  follows: 

Percent  of  Percent  of 

total  total 

Rye  grass  (mostly  Italian).. .     46.4  Timothy 1.3 

Kentucky  bluegrass 17.7  White  clover 8 

Redtop 13.4  Other  clovers 3 

Fescues  (mainly  chewings). . .       7.6  Carpet  grass .3 

Bent  grass  (other  than  redtop)      5.3  Poa    tnvialis    (rough-stalked 

Bermuda 4.5  meadow  grass) 2 

Grass  mixtures 2.2 

As  a  binding  grass  on  sour,  poor  soils  that  are  subjected  to  alter- 
nate periods  of  excess  moisture  and  drouth  as  well  as  to  considerable 
tramping,  redtop  serves  a  useful  purpose  and  large  amounts  are  used 
by  the  highway  departments  of  many  states. 

With  a  better  understanding  of  the  characteristics  of  redtop  and 
with  more  attention  being  given  to  improved  mixtures  for  various 
types  of  seeding,  redtop  seed  consumption  may  be  expected  to  show 
further  increase. 

METHODS  AND  PROBLEMS  OF  MARKETING 
REDTOP  SEED 

Marketing  Thru  Local  Dealers 

Redtop  harvest  for  seed  begins  somewhere  between  July  8  and 
July  19,  most  frequently  averaging  around  July  16.  Threshing  may 
begin  any  time  after  a  reasonable  amount  of  curing  has  taken  place, 
that  is,  after  ten  days  or  more  depending  on  the  weather.  It  is  a  com- 
mon practice  among  producers  to  obtain  from  a  local  dealer  a  supply 


258 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


of  cotton  bags  of  the  kind  used  for  seed  and  grain.  Into  these  the 
redtop  seed  is  placed  as  it  comes  from  the  threshing  machine.  A  far- 
mer is  seldom  if  ever  formally  obligated  to  sell  to  the  dealer  who 
furnishes  him  with  bags,  altho  he  rarely  sells  elsewhere.  Time  of 
active  selling  by  producers  extends  from  the  latter  part  of  July  thru 


FIG.  14. — MODERN  CLEANING  EQUIPMENT  FOR  REDTOP  SEED 
The  modern  cleaning  machinery  and  storage  plant  of  local  dealers  often 
represents  an  investment  of  $25,000  to  $40,000. 


October,  being  influenced  in  part  by  progress  made  in  threshing  and 
in  part  by  trend  in  price.  The  usual  date  of  sale  in  1931  was  about 
September  1  and  in  1932  August  20,  according  to  reporting  producers. 
Dates  of  sale  were  influenced  chiefly  by  the  personal  opinions  of  pro- 
ducers concerning  the  possible  price  changes  as  the  season  advanced. 
Seed  is  sold  to  local  dealers  on  a  cleaned,  90-percent  purity  basis, 
which  is  arrived  at  by  cleaning  a  measured  quantity  of  seed,  4  ounces 
in  present  practice,  on  small  fanning  mills  differing  only  in  size  from 
those  found  in  cleaning  establishments.  These  machines  are  small 
enough  to  be  loaded  into  an  automobile  or  buggy  and  transported 
from  farm  to  farm,  altho  the  samples  are  now  more  often  brought  in 
by  the  farmer  or  collected  by  the  dealer  and  recleaned  at  the  plant. 
The  machines  are  very  accurate  in  their  operations  but  can  be  adjusted 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


259 


to  obtain  slightly  more  or  less  than  the  standard  degree  of  purity  by 
changing  the  amount  of  wind  directed  upon  the  sample.  After  the 
sample  is  cleaned,  it  is  weighed  on  a  scale  calibrated  to  indicate  weight 
of  recleaned  seed  in  percentage  of  original  sample.  The  farmer,  if 
he  desires,  can  see  the  actual  value  of  his  seed  and  thus  receive  an 
offer  based  on  the  market  quotation.  Some  producers  take  samples 
of  seed  to  be  tested  to  two  or  three  dealers  in  order  to  sell  to  the 
dealer  who  quotes  the  highest  price  per  bushel  on  gross  weight  re- 
corded at  the  threshing  machine. 


FIG.  15. — MODERN  SEED  PLANT  IN  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

The  building  of  modern  seed  plants  in  southern  Illinois  indicates  the  impor- 
tance of  the  redtop  seed  industry  in  this  part  of  the  state. 


The  present  method  of  purchase  by  local  dealers  is  much  more 
accurate  and  satisfactory  to  both  parties  than  the  earlier  practice  by 
which  the  dealer  obtained  a  sample  of  each  sackful  with  a  sampling 
tube  or  probe,  eliminated  as  much  of  the  chaff  as  he  might  remove  by 
blowing,  and  then  on  the  basis  of  a  sight  examination  quoted  the 
farmer  a  price  for  his  seed.  Development  of  satisfactory  cleaning 
machinery  (Fig.  14)  and  the  establishment  of  suitable  grades  for  red- 
top  seed  entering  market  channels  have  been  gradually  brought  about 
by  local  handlers  in  the  Illinois  redtop  district1*  and  by  wholesale 
dealers  purchasing  considerable  quantities  of  seed  from  this  district.2* 

Seed  goes  to  local  dealers  of  two  types:  (1)  dealers  who  act  as 
agents  for  wholesale  dealers  and  usually  ship  the  seed  to  a  wholesale 


260  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

establishment  for  further  cleaning  and  distribution;  and  (2)  those 
operating  a  cleaning  establishment  and  warehouse  (Fig.  15)  in  ad- 
dition to  buying  and  selling  seed  and  who  sell  mostly  to  wholesale 
handlers,  often  cleaning  the  seed  to  specifications  desired  by  the  pur- 
chaser. Cleaning  machinery  has  developed  to  a  point  where  seed  can 
easily  meet  high  requirements  in  grade,  purity,  and  germination.  The 
redtop  seed  crops  of  1930,  1931,  and  1932  were  estimated  to  grade  as 
follows: 

Fancy  Plain 

.1930 80  percent  20  percent 

1931 74  percent  26  percent 

1932 , 88  percent  12  percent 

Redtop  seed  as  it  comes  on  the  market  is  relatively  pure  and  free 
from  noxious  weed  seeds.  The  report  of  the  Chief  Seed  Analyst, 
Illinois  State  Department  of  Agriculture,  shows  that  for  the  period 
1919-1929  only  one-half  of  one  percent  of  the  samples  of  redtop  seed 
in  Illinois  were  unsalable  because  of  noxious  weed  seeds.  Yarrow,  the 
most  serious  weed,  is  rather  abundant  in  some  years  and  difficult  to 
remove.  Red  sorrel  can  be  cleaned  out  but  only  with  extra  effort, 
usually  necessitating  a  second  cleaning  of  part  of  the  seed.  If  reason- 
able attention  is  given  to  keeping  meadows  clean,  most  of  the  weed 
seed  in  redtop  can  be  avoided.  A  part  of  the  seed  still  comes  to  local 
markets  with  too  much  chaff  included. 

All  the  important  local  seed  dealers  in  Illinois  were  interviewed 
between  September  8  and  September  15,  1932.  These  local  dealers 
handled  about  95  percent  of  the  total  crop  purchased  in  1931  and  1932. 
Some  dealers  did  not  report  on  the  1930  crop  or  on  sales  for  the  1931 
and  1932  crops.  Handlers  reported  purchases,  sales,  and  carryover 
as  follows:3 

1932  1931  1930 

Item  Expressed  in  carloads 

Total  purchases 299  522  169 

Total  salesb 114  298  168 

Average  purchase1* 33  40  24 

Average  sale 13  33  24 

Average  carryover6 20  7  0 

Local  dealers  indicated  that  speculators  normally  purchased  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  redtop  seed  from  them  and  carried  it  over,  but 


•The  schedules  were  obtained  between  September  8  and  15  and  according 
to  federal  report,  only  about  70  percent  of  the  seed  had  been  purchased  by  the 
15th.  Sales  for  the  crop  were  less  complete. 

These  averages  are  based  only  on  establishments  reporting  on  both  pur- 
chases and  sales,  which  represented  three- fourths. of  the  dealers  and  more  than 
half  of  the  crop. 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  261 

that  this  part  of  the  1931  crop  had  been  held  by  themselves  and  the 
1932  crop  would  be  similarly  held.  The  above  figures  tend  to  bear  out 
this  statement. 

Movement  of  crop  out  of  growers'  hands  was  rapid  during  the 
period  1922-1932  (Table  15,  page  254).  The  movement  of  the  1931 
crop  from  reporting  handlers,  in  terms  of  carload  lots,  was  as  follows: 

July    Aug.    Sept.     Oct.     Nov.    Dec.     Jan.     Feb.    Mar.    Apr.     May    June    Total 
Purchases...      17       124       120         73         26  2  0  0  0  0  0  0        362 

Sales 7         42         85         76         27         12  7         12         13  7  0         10        298 

Altho  practically  all  the  crop  had  reached  local  dealers  by  Decem- 
ber 1,  less  than  two-thirds  had  been  shipped  out  by  them  at  that  time. 
About  17.5  percent  of  the  crop  was  carried  over  by  local  handlers. 

Marketing  Thru  the  Egyptian  Seed  Growers'  Exchange  and 
the  Redtop  Growers'  Warehouse  Association 

The  important  influence  of  speculators  on  prices  paid  for  redtop 
seed  caused  many  early  producers  to  feel  that  they  were  not  receiving 
a  proper  proportion  of  the  final  returns  and  that  too  large  margins 
were  being  retained  by  middlemen.  This  belief  was  more  firmly  es- 
tablished in  1921  when  45  farmers  in  Clay  county  pooled  50,000 
pounds  of  seed  with  a  local  dealer  and  netted  two  cents  a  pound  above 
the  average  price  of  other  local  sales. 

Consequently  in  February,  1922,  46  farmers  from  seven  of  the 
leading  redtop  seed  producing  counties  of  Illinois  developed  plans  for 
organizing  a  cooperative  seed  growers'  marketing  association.  Enough 
members  were  obtained  to  permit  pooling  operations  with  the  1922 
crop.  In  October,  1923,  the  Egyptian  Seed  Growers'  Exchange  was 
organized  under  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Cooperative  Act.  Control 
and  management  of  the  organization  is  vested  in  a  board  of  thirteen 
directors  who  are  elected  by  voting  delegates  from  the  various  local- 
ities in  the  redtop  district.  These  directors  choose  officers  and  have 
complete  control  of  the  Exchange,  the  only  restriction  being  that  any 
action  of  officers  or  agents  exercised  in  excess  of  their  authority  is  not 
binding  upon  the  organization.  Stock,  of  no  par  value,  is  issued,  one 
share  to  each  member.  Each  share  carries  one  vote  in  the  election 
of  delegates. 

Membership  in  the  organization  totaled  3,000  by  1930,  and  the 
amount  of  seed  handled  from  the  1931  and  1932  crops  represented  an 
important  proportion  of  the  entire  redtop  seed  supply  of  the  state. 
The  .physical  property  of  the  Exchange,  together  with  that  of  the 
Warehouse  Association,  includes  the  original  building  plus  an  addition 
and  an  all-metal  warehouse,  100  by  200  feet,  completed  in  1932 
(Fig.  16). 


262  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

The  Warehouse  Association,  a  subsidiary  organization  of  the  Seed 
Exchange,  owns  and  operates  a  government-bonded  warehouse  which 
receives  seed  as  delivered  for  the  account  of  the  producer.  The  ware- 
house superintendent  tests  the  seed  and  issues  to  the  Exchange  a  re- 
ceipt based  on  the  amount  of  "fancy"  seed  contained  in  a  sample.  The 


FIG.  16. — NEW  FIREPROOF  WAREHOUSE  OF  THE  EGYPTIAN 

SEED  GROWERS'  ASSOCIATION 

The  fireproof  warehouse  shown  above  provides  economical  and  safe  stor- 
age for  redtop  seed  on  a  large  scale. 


Exchange  then  uses  this  receipt  as  collateral  in  securing  the  loan  of 
necessary  funds  for  operation  and  for  paying  the  amount  advanced 
to  producers  on  delivery  of  seed.  The  balance  is  paid  to  producers  on 
disposition  of  the  entire  crop. 

The  policy  of  the  Exchange  is  to  advance  to  the  producer  at  time 
of  delivery  a  price  per  pound  for  "fancy"  seed  based  on  the  manager's 
judgment  as  to  what  is  a  safe  figure,  considering  cost  of  handling, 
loan  value,  and  probable  market  price  of  the  seed.  After  the  seed  is 
cleaned  and  graded,  the  policy  of  the  Exchange  has  been  to  sell  the 
seed  on  the  open  market  direct  to  wholesale  dealers  and  jobbers  as 
demand  and  supply  conditions  seem  to  warrant.  In  the  main,  local 
handlers  and  the  Exchange  dispose  of  their  seed  to  the  same  class  of 
dealers.  Approximately  60  percent  of  the  seed  that  leaves  local  han- 
dlers is  disposed  of  in  carload  lots  and  about  35  percent  in  less  than 
carload  lots.  The  other  5  percent  goes  back  to  local  farmers  for  new 
plantings. 

Marketing  by  Wholesale  Dealers 

Wholesale  dealers  handle  redtop  along  with  other  seed  and  dispose 
of  the  bulk  of  it  in  grass-seed  mixtures,  altho  a  considerable  amount 
is  sold  as  straight  redtop  seed  for  use  in  southern  states.  Much  of  the 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  263 

seed  is  disposed  of  in  specially  labeled  bags  or  packages.  Cleaning  is 
seldom  performed  by  wholesale  dealers  except  where  they  buy  direct 
from  producers  thru  local  representatives.  In  these  instances  the  seed 
is  assembled  and  usually  cleaned  at  the  central  plant  (Fig.  17). 

Distribution  extends  over  a  large  territory   for  each  wholesale 
dealer,  as  his  retail  handlers  are  both  numerous  and  widely  distrib- 


FIG.  17. — STORAGE  OF  CLEANED  REDTOP  SEED 

Redtop  seed  sold  in  bulk  is  often  sacked  after  cleaning  and  stored  by  the 
cleaning  establishment,  as  shown  above. 


uted.  The  territory  served  by  each  wholesale  dealer  usually  over- 
laps that  of  other  dealers.  About  twenty  wholesale  dealers  purchase 
the  bulk  of  seed  from  local  handlers  in  Illinois.  Distribution  is  thru 
both  jobbers  and  retail  handlers. 

Retail  Marketing 

Retail  distribution  of  grass  seeds  is  made  by  numerous  agencies  in 
each  community.  Seed  firms,  hardware  stores,  florist  shops,  feed 
stores,  and  general  grocery  stores  are  the  usual  local  distributing 
agents. 

Retail  sales  are  made  both  in  mixtures  and  in  bulk.  In  areas  in 
which  redtop  is  grown  alone  to  considerable  extent,  the  proportion  of 
redtop  seed  sold  in  bulk  is  high  even  when  used  in  seeding  with  other 
grasses.  Some  of  the  larger  retail  handlers  of  seed  make  up  their  own 
mixtures  but  the  majority  either  have  the  mixing  done  for  them  by 
wholesale  firms  specializing  in  this  phase  of  the  business  or  purchase 
seed  mixtures  thru  regular  channels.  Most  dealers  supplying  lawn- 
grass  seed  mixtures  have  a  standard  list  of  brands  meeting  various 


264  BULLETIN  No.  404  \June, 

types  of  lawn  needs  and  price  requirements  of  the  consuming  public. 
The  Illinois  seed  law  requires  each  sack  containing  seed  mixtures  to 
carry  an  analysis  so  that  the  consumer  may  know  what  he  is  buying. 

Recent  Efforts  to  Stabilize  Redtop  Seed  Marketing 

The  price  of  redtop  seed  practically  doubled  in  1925  and  1926 
compared  with  1924,  owing  apparently  to  speculative  control  of  red- 
top  seed  supplies.  A  similar  price  change  occurred  beginning  in  the 
spring  of  1933. 

Demands  for  more  far-reaching  and  systematic  methods  of  estab- 
lishing and  maintaining  balance  between  production  and  consumption 
of  redtop  seed  reached  concrete  expression  in  a  proposed  marketing 
agreement  for  the  redtop  seed  industry  made  under  the  Agricultural 
Adjustment  Act  approved  May  12,  1933.  It  became  clear  at  the  hear- 
ing held  March  9,  1934,  with  reference  to  this  proposal  that  had  red- 
top  been  included  in  the  list  of  basic  agricultural  commodities  pro- 
vided in  the  Agricultural  Adjustment  Act,  problems  of  redtop  market- 
ing might  have  been  more  easily  solved.  There  has  been  some  question 
as  to  the  extent  to  which  dealers  in  a  commodity  that  lacked  the 
status  of  a  basic  agricultural  commodity  could  organize  for  market 
control. 

In  the  absence  of  further  federal  legislation  which  would  broaden 
the  list  of  basic  agricultural  commodities  so  as  to  include  redtop  seed, 
it  seems  doubtful  that  any  satisfactory  program  of  production  control 
is  to  be  expected.  It  is  not  likely  that  Illinois  would  be  joined  by  other 
states  in  a  treaty  to  control  marketing  of  a  commodity  the  production 
of  which  is  as  concentrated  in  one  state  as  is  redtop  seed  production 
in  Illinois.  Purely  voluntary  agreements  on  the  part  of  producers  and 
dealers  could  not  be  expected  easily  to  attain  the  degree  of  control 
which  has  been  attempted  for  basic  agricultural  commodities. 

In  May,  1934,  the  Federal  Surplus  Relief  Corporation,  following 
suggestions  by  sponsors  of  the  sale  of  redtop  and  other  seeds  that 
9,000,000  pounds  of  redtop  seed  and  somewhat  larger  amounts  of 
Kentucky  bluegrass  and  lespedeza  seed  should  be  acquired  by  this 
federal  agency,  had  offers  of  5,500,000  pounds  of  redtop  seed  at  prices 
ranging  mostly  from  8  to  9}/2  cents  a  pound  for  seed  of  a  purity  of 
90  percent  or  better  and  of  a  germination  of  85  percent  or  better.  The 
extent  to  which  these  stocks  of  seed  will  be  accumulated  in  federal 
hands  prior  to  utilization  on  erosion  and  other  projects  supported  by 
federal  and  other  public  funds  was  not  published  at  the  time  the 
specifications  were  released  for  the  use  of  those  who  were  tendering 
supplies. 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


265 


PRICES  OF  REDTOP  SEED 
Producer  Prices 

Prices  received  by  producers  for  redtop  seed  vary  greatly  from 
season  to  season.  Redtop  seed  prices  reached  a  low  of  3.4  cents  a 
pound  for  recleaned  seed  in  1932  and  during  four  years  of  the  period 
1907-1932  reached  annual  averages  as  high  as  22  cents  (Fig.  18). 


2  3  45 

PRODUCTION   100  CARLOADS 

FIG.  18. — PRODUCTION  OF  REDTOP  SEED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  FOR  THE  CROP 

YEARS  1907-1932,  AND  PRICES  PAID  TO  PRODUCERS 

Price  is  influenced  somewhat  by  production  but  other  factors  are  important, 
as  is  indicated  by  the  wide  spread  in  price  in  years  when  annual  production  was 
around  200  carloads. 


The  average  price  for  the  ten-year  period  1923-1932  was  about  13 
cents  a  pound  (Table  18).  Prices  as  a  rule  have  not  been  well  estab- 
lished by  July  15.  Prices  for  the  months  of  August,  September,  and 
October  are  generally  well  established,  however,  as  most  of  the  crop 
is  sold  by  November  15.  Average  prices  by  months  have  usually 
varied  1/2  to  l^i  cents  a  pound  during  August,  September,  and  Octo- 
ber of  a  single  year,  but  have  shown  a  spread  of  as  much  as  4  cents. 
Prices  paid  to  producers  are  usually  influenced  by  the  size  of  the  cur- 
rent crop.  Some  large  crops  of  recent  years,  however,  were  not 
reflected  in  price  as  accurately  as  the  other  crops  thruout  the  period. 


266 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


TABLE  18. — PRICES  PAID  PRODUCERS  FOR  "FANCY"  REDTOP  SEED,  UNITED  STATES, 
BY  MONTHS,  JULY  TO  NOVEMBER 

(Cents  per  pound) 


Year 

July  15* 

Aug.  IS 

Sept.  15 

Oct.  15 

Nov.  15 

Average 

1922  

14 

15 

14.5 

13.5 

14 

1923  

11 

14 

11 

11 

11 

1924  

11 

11 

10 

10 

11 

1925  

17 

18.5 

22.5 

22.5 

22 

1926  

18 

21 

22.75 

21 

22 

1927  

13 

10.5 

9.5 

10.25 

10.25 

10.5 

1928  

11 

11 

12.5 

13 

12.5 

12.5 

1929  

14 

15 

14 

14.25 

14  25 

1930  

16 

18.5 

18 

18.25 

1931  

10 

7.25 

6.33 

6.75 

6.5 

1932  

5 

3.3 

3.5 

3.5 

3.5 

Average  1923-1932  

12.6 

13.0 

13.0 

13.2 

12.9 

•July  15.  1921  =  15^  per  pound. 

Comparison  of  the  changes  in  prices  paid  to  producers  with  changes 
in  total  supply  and  disappearance  indicates  a  closer  adjustment  of 
prices  to  supply  than  to  disappearance  (Fig.  13,  page  253),  mainly 
because  of  greater  elasticity  in  supply.  The  apparent  failure  to  show 
the  usual  inverse  relation  between  supply  and  price  for  the  1928  crop 
was  due  in  part  to  a  decided  response  of  producer  prices  to  increased 
supply  in  the  previous  year. 


Wholesale  Prices 

Wholesale  price  quotations  for  redtop  seed  are  shown  weekly  dur- 
ing the  months  of  January  thru  May  at  Chicago,  Louisville,  St.  Louis, 

TABLE  19. — AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  SELLING  PRICES  OF  REDTOP  SEED  AT 

LEADING  MARKETS  BY  CROP  YEARS 

(Cents  per  pound) 


Crop  year 

Chicago 

Louis- 
ville 

St.  Louis 

Kansas 
City 

Balti- 
more 

New 
York 

Minne- 
apolis 

1919   

17.20 

19.70 

19.85 

20.00 

18.55 

18.45 

21.10 

1920   

13.05 

14.95 

13.60 

14.50 

13.80 

14.00 

14.85 

1921    

22.65 

23.90 

23.90 

25.15 

22.45 

23.55 

24.35 

1922    

18.70 

18.75 

19.80 

21.50 

19.65 

19.30 

20.50 

1923        

13.65 

13.90 

14.60 

15.20 

14.20 

14.20 

15.35 

1924        

14.40 

14.15 

13.95 

15.00 

14.20 

14.50 

16.00 

1925  

31.20 

31.50 

31.15 

31.05 

32.60 

32.25 

32.70 

1926    

25.30 

24.85 

26.20 

24.30 

25.60 

25.65 

27.00 

1927        

13.10 

13.55 

13.65 

13.95 

14.00 

13.95 

15.45 

1928        

14.55 

15.20 

14.75 

15.45 

15.55 

15.50 

16.00 

1929.  . 

16.45 

16.55 

16.85 

17.50 

17.05 

17.05 

18.45 

1930  

24.20 

25.30 

24.70 

24.80 

24.95 

26.50 

25.80 

1931        

8.70 

8.50 

9.30 

10.00 

9.35 

9.65 

11.20 

1932    

5.30 

5.20 

5.25 

5.85 

5.65 

5.55 

6.65 

Average  

17.05 

17.55 

17.70 

18.15 

17.70 

17.85 

18.95 

1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


267 


TABLE  20. — AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  SELLING  PRICES  OF  REDTOP  SEED  AT 

CHICAGO,  JANUARY  TO  MAY 

(Cents  per  pound) 


Year 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

Average 

1920... 

18.75 

18.25 

17.40 

16.40 

15.10 

17.20 

1921   

12.25 

12.05 

13.35 

13.75 

13  95 

13  05 

1922  

22.90 

23.25 

23.35 

22.20 

21.65 

22.65 

1923  

20.00 

19.65 

18.50 

17.80 

17.50 

18.70 

1924  

13.25 

13.40 

13.70 

13.80 

14.00 

13.65 

1925   .  . 

14.20 

14.30 

14.35 

14.60 

14  50 

14  40 

1926  

31.70 

31.65 

31.65 

31.55 

29.50 

31.20 

1927   

24.30 

25.85 

25.80 

25.40 

25   10 

25  30 

1928  1  .  . 

12.45 

12.30 

12.35 

13.60 

14  80 

13.10 

1929  

14.95 

14.95 

14.85 

14.30 

13.80 

14.55 

1930..  . 

15.80 

15.80 

16.10 

17.10 

17.60 

16.45 

1931   

23.70 

24.00 

24.00 

24.75 

24  50 

24  20 

1932  

9.00 

8.95 

8.50 

8.50 

8  60 

8.70 

1933  

4.50 

4.50 

4.50 

5.75 

7.10 

5.30 

Average  _  

17.00 

17.05 

17.05 

17.10 

17.00 

17.05 

Baltimore,  New  York,  Minneapolis,  and  Kansas  City.  Prices  have 
usually  been  lowest  at  the  markets  nearest  the  source  of  farm  supply 
(Table  19).  For  the  ten-year  period  1923-1932  these  cities  ranked  as 
follows  in  yearly  average  price  quotations  for  redtop  seed,  from  low 
to  high:  Chicago,  Louisville,  St.  Louis,  Baltimore,  New  York,  Kan- 
sas City,  Minneapolis.  The  difference  between  the  highest  and  lowest 
average  was  $1.15  per  100  pounds  of  seed. 

Comparisons  of  quotations  at  the  two  markets,  Chicago  and  Louis- 
ville, show  that  average  prices  have  been  consistently  higher  at  Louis- 
ville, only  4  years  out  of  the  14  showing  otherwise  (Tables  20  and 


TABLE  21. — AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  SELLING  PRICES  OF  REDTOP  SEED  AT 

LOUISVILLE,  JANUARY  TO  MAY 

(Cents  per  pound) 


Year 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

Average 

1920  

21  90 

21.25 

19  25 

18  65 

17  40 

19  70 

1921  

13.65 

14.40 

15.15 

15  00 

16.50 

14.95 

1922  .    . 

24  45 

25  00 

25  35 

23  90 

22  70 

23  90 

1923  

20  00 

20  00 

18  50 

17  80 

17  50 

18  75 

1924  

13.75 

14.00 

13.80 

14.00 

14.00 

13.90 

1925..  . 

14.00 

14.35 

14.45 

14.00 

14.00 

14.15 

1926  

31  90 

31   65 

31  50 

31  35 

31    10 

31  50 

1927  

24.00 

24  90 

25.35 

25.00 

25.00 

24.85 

1928  

13.00 

12.80 

12.50 

13.60 

15.90 

13.55 

1929  

15  80 

15  85 

15.65 

14  50 

14.30 

15  20 

1930..  . 

16  05 

16.50 

16.20 

16.55 

17.40 

16.55 

1931  

25.00 

25.40 

25.75 

25.45 

24.95 

25.30 

1932  

9  35 

8  55 

8  45 

8.15 

8  00 

8.50 

1933  

5.05 

4.50 

4.50 

5.30 

6.65 

5.20 

Average  

17.70 

17.80 

17.60 

17.40 

17.55 

17.60 

268 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


21).    The  average  amount  of  difference  per  100  pounds  in  favor  of 
Louisville  by  months  was  as  follows: 


January 
.70 


February 
.75 


March 
.55 


April 
.30 


May 

.55 


Average 
.55 


Retail  Prices 


Retail  prices  have  usually  been  lowest  in  states  producing  large 
supplies  of  redtop  and  bluegrass.  According  to  average  annual  retail 
prices  of  redtop  seed  for  the  1923-1932  period,  the  following  ten 
states  fall  into  high  and  low  groups  as  indicated,  with  an  average 
difference  of  $3.55  per  100  pounds  for  the  two  groups  (Table  22) : 


High  group 

Ohio  New  York 

Pennsylvania     Iowa 
Indiana 


Low  group 
Tennessee       Kansas 
Kentucky       Illinois 
Missouri 


The  range  of  difference  in  average  yearly  prices  was  60  cents  per 
100  pounds,  or  less  than  3  percent  in  the  states  of  the  lower  price 


TABLE  22. — AVERAGE  RETAIL  PRICES  PAID  FOR  "FANCY"  REDTOP  SEED  IN 
SELECTED  STATES 
(Cents  per  pound) 


Crop  year 

111. 

Ind. 

Ohio 

Ky. 

Tenn. 

N.Y. 

Penn. 

Iowa 

Missou- 
ri 

Kans. 

1923  

17.70 

21.25 

21.15 

17.05 

17.70 

21.10 

18.20 

19.75 

18.25 

18.25 

1924  

18.35 

19.95 

22.60 

17.15 

17.90 

21.20 

20.90 

19.40 

17.65 

16.80 

1925     

33.20 

38.30 

38  80 

34.80 

33.00 

36.00 

37.25 

33.70 

33  05 

33.75 

1926  

29.50 

35.25 

35.50 

31.15 

30.70 

34.80 

36.00 

31.85 

30.35 

30.25 

1927  

18.65 

21.35 

23.55 

16.90 

16.75 

20.00 

21.80 

19.40 

17.05 

18.30 

1928... 

18.75 

22.35 

24.40 

18.55 

18.10 

21.60 

22.50 

21.90 

18.10 

18.05 

1929  

21.10 

23.05 

23.50 

19.00 

19.30 

23.40 

24.40 

24.20 

19.55 

20.95 

1930  

27.20 

30.40 

31.90 

26.65 

26.20 

30  60 

34  00 

29.00 

26.90 

25.60 

1931  

12.80 

13.95 

17.00 

11.40 

12.10 

14.60 

17   10 

14.90 

12.20 

12.95 

1932       

7.90 

9.10 

10  00 

6.90 

7  20 

10  00 

11   15 

9  50 

7  20 

7  85 

Average  

20.50 

23.50 

24.85 

20.00 

19.90 

23.35 

24.35 

22.35 

20.05 

20.30 

group,  and  $2.50  per  100  pounds,  or  nearly  11  percent,  in  those  of  the 
higher  price  group.  These  price  quotations  were  based  on  available 
monthly  figures  by  states  from  January  thru  May. 

When  an  average  of  wholesale  prices  at  Chicago  and  Louisville 
is  used  as  representative  for  Illinois,  the  spread  between  producer  and 
wholesale  prices  of  redtop  seed  and  that  between  wholesale  and  retail 
prices  are  indicated  to  have  been  nearly  equal  during  the  ten-year 
period  1923-1932.  The  spread  was  $3.65  per  100  pounds  between 
producer  and  wholesale  prices  and  $3.70  between  wholesale  and  retail 
prices  (Table  23). 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


269 


TABLE  23. — AVERAGE  PRICES  OF  REDTOP  SEED  IN  ILLINOIS  COMPARED  WITH  SAME 
PRICES  ADJUSTED*  FOR  PURCHASING  POWER 
(Cents  per  pound) 


Crop 
year 

Producer 

Wholesale  prices 

Retail  prices 

Actual 

Adjust- 
ed 

Differ- 
ence 

Actual 

Adj  ust- 
ed 

Differ- 
ence 

Actual 

Adjust- 
ed 

Differ- 
ence 

1922.  . 

14 
11 
11 
22 
22 

10.5 
12.5 
14.25 
18.25 
6.5 
3.4 

13.20 

14.1 
11.1 
11.3 
21.2 
22.2 

10.9 
12.7 
15.0 
22.0 
9.1 
5.3 

14.1 

.1 

.1 
.2 
-.8 
.2 

.4 
.2 
.75 
3.75 
2.6 
1.9 

.9 

18.70 
13.80 
14.30 
31.35 
25.10 

13.30 
14.90 
16.50 
24.75 
8.60 
5.25 

16.95 

18.1 
14.1 
13.9 
30.9 
26.4 

13.7 
15.4 
18.1 
32.6 
13.1 
8.6 

18.6 

-.60 
.30 
-.40 
.45 
1.30 

.40 
.50 
1.60 
7.85 
4.50 
3.35 

1.65 

23.60>> 
17.70 
18.35 
33.20 
29.50 

18.65 
18.75 
21.10 
27.20 
12.80 
7.90 

20.80 

22.  8<> 
18.1 
17.8 
32.9 
31.2 

19.2 
19.5 
23.3 
36.2 
19.5 
13.0 

23.0 

-.80 
.40 
-.55 
-.30 
1.70 

.55 
.75 
2.20 
9.00 
6.70 
5.10 

1.80 

1923  

1924  

1925    

1926  

1927.  . 

1928  

1929    

1930  

1931  

1932    

Average  .  .  . 

•Each  price  series  was  adjusted  by  dividing  the  actual  price  by  the  average  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Labor  Statistics  index  number  of  wholesale  prices  for  all  commodities,  1926  base,  for  the  months  covered 
by  each  price  series.  bAverage  of  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan. 


When  prices  are  expressed  in  dollars  of  1926  purchasing  power, 
the  spread  is  increased  in  both  instances,  being  $4.60  and  $4.40  per 
100  pounds.  Increase  in  purchasing  power  has  been  noticeable  mainly 
since  1926.  Comparison  of  figures  from  year  to  year  shows  that  the 
three  series  of  prices — producer,  wholesale,  and  retail — have  consis- 
tently moved  in  the  same  direction.  Producer  prices,  however,  have 


1932 


FIG.  19. — PRICES  PAID  FOR  REDTOP  SEED  TO  PRODUCERS,  TO  WHOLESALE  DEALERS, 

AND  TO  RETAIL  DEALERS  IN  THE  CROP  YEARS  1922-1932 

Spreads  between  producer  and  wholesale  prices  and  between  wholesale  and 
retail  prices  have  remained  fairly  constant.  Slight  variations  have  been  due 
mainly  to  producer  prices  lagging  behind  wholesale  and  retail  prices  on  the  up- 
ward swings  and  of  retail  prices  lagging  behind  producer  and  wholesale  prices 
on  the  downward  swings. 


270 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


gone  up  less  in  proportion  than  the  others  in  years  of  large  price  in- 
creases, as  indicated  by  1925  and  1930  prices ;  while  retail  prices  have 
moved  down  less  rapidly  from  high  peaks  than  either  of  the  other 
series  (Fig.  19). 

Prices  and  Quantities 

Comparison  of  producer,  wholesale,  and  retail  prices  of  redtop  seed 
with  production,  total  supply  (production  and  carryover),  and  dis- 
appearance indicates  that  there  was  little  difference  in  the  reaction  of 
prices  of  the  producer,  wholesale,  and  retail  series  to  the  various 


25 


20 


•'3C 


'29 


.'28 


28 


••27 


'23' 


-31 


••31 


932 


PRODUCTION 


SUPPLY 


DISAPPEARANCE 
(CONSUMPTION) 


01   234   5601   234567890   12345 

HUNDREDS   OF  CARLOADS 

FIG.  20. — PRODUCTION,  TOTAL  SUPPLY,  AND  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  REDTOP 
SEED  IN  RELATION  TO  ADJUSTED  PRICES  PAID  TO  PRODUCERS 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  CROP  YEARS  1922-1932 

Redtop  seed  prices  respond  most  to  supply  quantities  and  least  to  disap- 
pearance or  consumption  quantities.  Of  the  quantities  making  up  supply,  pro- 
duction has  influenced  price  more  than  carryover. 


quantities  except  for  somewhat  less  sensitiveness  of  producer  prices 
to  changes  in  annual  amounts.  The  comparatively  slight  sensitiveness 
displayed  by  producer  prices  in  years  of  smaller  crops  is  especially 
to  be  noted  (Fig.  20). 

Prices  in  all  three  series  showed  decided  reactions  to  all  three 
quantity  series.  Annual  disappearances  have  been  least  elastic  in  rela- 
tion to  price  differences,  and  production  amounts  most  elastic.  It 
would  appear  that  prices  can  be  forecast  best  thru  the  total  supply 
available  for  the  coming  season.  On  the  other  hand,  demand  has 
responded  only  slightly  to  price  changes  the  following  season.  In  all 
cases  prices  have  responded  less  to  a  given  change  in  supply  at  the 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


271 


surplus  end  of  a  period  of  accumulation  than  at  other  times.  It  is 
possible  to  account  for  the  wide  range  of  variation  in  price  over  several 
years  largely  on  the  basis  of  the  inelasticity  of  demand  for  the  product, 
regardless  of  price,  and  the  small  amount  of  consumption  usually  re- 
quired by  various  individuals. 

Prices  of  other  grass  seeds,  particularly  bluegrass  and  timothy, 
which  more  or  less  reflect  their  supplies,  also  affect  somewhat  the 
prices  of  redtop  seed  (Fig.  21).  Another  factor  influencing  redtop 


24 


20 


'29 


28 


25 


'24 


•'25 


1932 


0  4  6  12  16 

BUJEGRASS  PRICE,  CENTS  PER  LB. 


02468 

TIMOTHY  PRICE ,  CENTS  PER  LB. 


FIG.  21. — PRICES  PAID  TO  PRODUCERS  FOR  REDTOP  SEED  IN  RELATION  TO 
CORRESPONDING  PRICES  FOR  BLUEGRASS  AND  TIMOTHY 

SEED,  CROP  YEARS  1924-1932 

Prices  of  both  bluegrass  and  timothy  seed  show  some  correlation  with  those 
of  redtop  seed.  The  prices  of  these  two  grass  seeds  have  exerted  similar  in- 
fluences on  redtop  seed  prices. 


seed  prices  has  been  the  export  situation  since  about  1922.  Import 
duties  have  existed  on  redtop  seed  since  1922  and  were  increased 
sufficiently  in  1930  to  provide  an  embargo  against  importation  (Table 
24).  Duties  on  all  hays  have  been  such  as  to  exclude  competition  in 
domestic  markets. 

Redtop  seed  has  commanded  relatively  high  prices  when  supply 
has  been  kept  near  the  level  of  consumption  but  when  supply  has 
been  burdensome,  prices  have  sagged  to  levels  that  made  production 
unprofitable.  Speculators  have  served  somewhat  as  balance  wheels 
in  years  of  large  supply  but  were  mostly  inactive  during  the  1931  and 
1932  marketing  seasons. 


272 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


TABLE  24. — TARIFF  DUTIES  LEVIED  ON  REDTOP  SEED  AND 
HAY,  UNITED  STATES 


Tariff  act  of  — 

Duty  on  seed,  per  pound 

Duty  on  hay,» 
per  ton 

1909        

Free 

*4 

1913        

Free 

2 

1922        

2  cents  (under  classification  of  n.s.p.f.b) 

4 

1930   

40  cents  (bent  grass  seed,  genus  Agrostis) 

5 

•No  separation  made  as  to  kinds  of  hay.        bn.s.p.f.  =  "not  specially  provided  for." 

FARM  MANAGEMENT  ASPECTS  OF  REDTOP  PRO- 
DUCTION IN  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

The  place  which  redtop  fills  in  the  organization  of  farms  in  the 
southern  Illinois  redtop  district  involves  many  considerations  affecting 
the  relative  profitableness  of  the  crop,  its  use  in  the  cropping  system, 
and  the  purposes  for  which  it  is  grown.15*  Tho  the  redtop  district  can 


FIG.  22. — ILLINOIS  REDTOP  DISTRICT  AS  SEPARATED  INTO  THE  CENTRAL  OR 
SEED  AREA,  AND  THE  BORDER  OR  HAY  AND  PASTURE  AREA 

The  counties  in  the  central  area  include  the  heart  of  the  redtop  seed-pro- 
ducing territory  of  Illinois.  Seed  production  has  also  been  important  in  those 
parts  of  the  border  counties  that  are  next  to  the  redtop  seed-producing  area. 
The  use  of  redtop  for  hay  and  pasture  predominates  in  the  outer  area. 


be  divided  into  a  central  or  seed-producing  area  and  a  border  or  hay 
and  pasture  area,  as  indicated  in  Fig.  22,  the  general  organization  and 
the  financial  returns  from  farms  in  the  two  areas  are  similar,  according 
to  an  analysis  made  of  farm  records  for  the  years  1928-1932.*  Redtop- 
producing  farms  in  these  areas  differ  chiefly  in  their  cropping  systems, 
particularly  in  the  acreages  and  uses  of  the  redtop  crop. 

•See  footnote,  page  277. 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


273 


Relative  Profitableness  of  Redtop 

While  redtop  is  a  crop  of  low  gross  income  per  acre,  it  has  the 
advantage  of  low  production  costs.  When  relative  costs  of  nine  crops 
in  southern  Illinois,  as  determined  for  the  ten-year  period  1913- 
1922,10*  were  adjusted  to  the  scale  of  operating  costs  prevailing  in 
1931  and  1932,  redtop  showed  the  lowest  acre-cost  and  the  lowest 
labor  and  power  requirements  (Table  25). 

Crops  with  a  relatively  low  gross  income,  such  as  redtop,  timothy, 
and  mixed  hay,  may  prove  as  profitable,  because  of  their  lower  acre- 
costs,  as  crops  with  higher  gross  returns,  altho  they  add  less  to  the 
total  volume  of  the  farm  business. 

In  producing  hay  and  seed  crops  not  only  is  a  large  share  of  the 
labor  and  power  requirements  limited  to  harvesting  operations,  but 
there  is  little  conflict  with  the  requirements  of  grain  crops,  and  hence 
a  larger  total  acreage  can  be  handled  without  a  proportionate  increase 
in  the  demand  for  labor  and  power.  This  is  particularly  true  in  the 
redtop  district  where,  because  of  soil  conditions,  the  acreage  of  spring- 
planted  crops  that  can  be  handled  is  definitely  limited.  The  total  crop 
area  of  a  farm  can  be  enlarged  if  crops  are  grown  that  require  no 
early  spring  work. 

Extent  to  Which  Period  of  Study  Was  Normal 

Farm  records  for  the  years  1928-1932  form  the  basis  for  the  fol- 
lowing analysis  of  redtop  production  on  farms  in  southern  Illinois. 

TABLE  25. — COSTS  PER  ACRE  OF  PRODUCING  REDTOP  AND  EIGHT  OTHER  LEADING 
CROPS  IN  THE  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  AVERAGE  FOR  1931-1932 


Item 

Red- 
top 

Corn 

Wheat 

Oats 

Clover 

Timo- 
thy 

Mixed 
hay 

Cow- 
peas 

£r 

bean 
hay 

Man  labor  

$  .98 
.66 

$3.18 
5.32 
.13 
.11 
.98 

$2.90 
3.66 
.34 
.74 
.76 

.28 
.04 
.55 
2.31 
2.11 

$13.69 
1.85 
$15.54 

19.3 
36.6 
1  675 
13.8  bu. 

$1.83 
2.38 
.14 
.54 
.56 

.25 
.04 
.42 
1.61 
1.42 

$  9.19 
1.85 
$11.04 

12.2 
23.8 
1  058 
21.1  bu. 

$1.54 
1.27 

$1.11 
.88 

$1.20 
.82 

$2.50 
3.20 

$1.65 
2.26 

Horse  labor  

Tractor  

Seed  

.08 
.25 

.60 

.42 

.15 
.30 

.40 
.26 

.75 
.76 

.65 
.68 

Machinery  

Twine... 

Fuel  

Threshing  or  hauling  
General  farm  expense*     ...    . 

.33 
.76 
.08 

$3.14 
1.85 
$4.99 

6.5 
6.6 
197 

.54T 

-3!46 
.72 

$14.60 
1.85 
$16.45 

25.9 
53.2 
1  221 
23.4  bu. 

.15 
1.15 
.41 

$4.39 
1.85 
$6.24 

8.0 
8.2 
221 
.94T 

.23 
2.35 
.57 

$10.36 
1.85 
$12.21 

16.7 
32.0 
248 
.61T 

i!ii 

1.17 

$7.62 
1.85 
$9.47 

11.0 
22.6 
24 
1.03T 

1.32 
1.66 

$6.21 
1.85 
$8.06 

10.3 
12.7 
608 
1.37T 

.91 
.26 

$3.61 
1.85 
$5.46 

7.4 
8.8 
658 
.89T 

Miscellaneous  

Total  operating  expense  
Interest  on  land  at  5  percent.  . 
Total  cost  

Man  labor,  hours  

Horse  labor,  hours  

Acres  of  crop  

Yield  per  acre  

•Taxes  are  included  under  general  farm  expense. 


274  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

The  conditions  which  prevailed  in  the  redtop  district  during  this  per- 
iod were  significant  since  extreme  variations  in  rainfall  affected 
markedly  the  volume  of  crop  production  and  the  decline  in  price-levels 
affected  the  returns  for  all  farm  products. 

Rainfall. — Annual  rainfall  data  from  ten  stations  well  distributed 
over  the  redtop  district,  five  in  the  redtop  seed-producing  area  and 
five  in  the  hay  and  pasture  area,  show  definite  variations  in  amount  of 
rainfall  from  year  to  year  but  relatively  uniform  precipitation  from 
month  to  month  thruout  the  entire  district. 

ANNUAL  RAINFALL  IN  ILLINOIS  REDTOP  DISTRICT 

Five  stations  in  Five  stations  in 

central  or  border  or  hay  and 

seed  area  pasture  area 

inches  inches 

1928 42.84  45.31 

1929 48.12  48.21 

1930 31.20  33.45 

1931 43.59  42.91 

1932 41.89  46.19 

Five-year  average 41 . 53  43 . 21 

Normal 42.85  39.81 

Weather  conditions  for  the  crop  year  1928  were  quite  favorable 
during  the  spring  seeding  period,  but  excessive  rainfall  in  June  made 
cultivation  almost  impossible,  as  a  result  of  which  feed  crops  were 
late  and  weedy  and  production  restricted.  In  contrast,  the  crop  season 
of  1929  started  with  a  wet  April  and  May,  and  difficulty  was  exper- 
ienced in  planting  crops.  Favorable  weather  later,  however,  resulted 
in  a  good  corn  crop  and  fairly  good  hay  crops  altho  yields  of  small 
grains  were  reduced. 

In  1930  the  greatest  variations  in  temperature  and  the  most  severe 
drouth  on  record  were  recorded  in  the  redtop  district.  The  drouth 
started  in  March,  and  during  the  six-month  period  of  March  thru 
August  the  rainfall  at  the  ten  stations  in  the  district  was  from  27  to 
53  percent  of  normal.  This  lack  of  sufficient  rainfall,  together  with 
very  hot  weather  in  July  and  August,  severely  reduced  the  yields  of 
nearly  all  crops  in  the  redtop  district. 

The  year  1931  was .  generally  above  normal  in  temperature,  with 
several  periods  of  extreme  heat  during  the  summer.  Rainfall  was  well 
distributed  thruout  the  growing  season,  and  crop  yields  were  the  best 
of  any  year  during  this  period.  During  1932  favorable  temperatures 
prevailed  during  the  crop  season,  and  altho  precipitation  was  less  than 
normal  during  the  period  from  February  thru  June,  the  crop  yields 
were  not  generally  curtailed. 


1934} 


275 


Because  of  soil  conditions  in  the  redtop  district,  extremes  of  tem- 
perature or  rainfall  exert  noticeable  effects  upon  crop  production.  Yet 
despite  the  wide  variations  in  yields  from  year  to  year  as  a  result  of 
weather  conditions,  average  yields  obtained  on  the  record-keeping 
farms  in  the  two  areas  of  the  district  during  the  five-year  period 
1928-1932  (Table  26)  were  representative  of  a  much  longer  period.3 


TABLE  26. — CROP  YIELDS  ON  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS  IN  THE  REDTOP 
DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Central  area 


Corn,  bushels  

20.0 

27.8 

13.8 

31.2 

32.3 

25.1 

Oats,  bushels  

26.3 

15.8 

26.3 

30.6 

16.8 

23.2 

Winter  wheat,  bushels  

5.9 

10.7 

15.9 

30.9 

9.7 

14  6 

Soybeans,  bushels   

4.2 

7.7 

8.1 

13.0 

7.9 

8.2 

Redtop,  pounds  

45.0 

44.0 

38.0 

80.0 

99.0 

61.0 

Hay.  tons 
Redtop  

.72 

.36 

.58 

53 

55 

Soybean  

.85 

.84 

.76 

1.26 

1.13 

.97 

Timothy      

.55 

.89 

90 

1  35 

91 

88 

Clover   

1.19 

.80 

1.00 

1  45 

1.11 

Alfalfa  

2.00 

1.33 

.20 

1.18 

Clover  and  timothy  

.83 

.60 

1.00 

.88 

.83 

80 

1.50 

1   29 

1  20 

Redtop  straw,  tons   

.39 

.64 

30 

60 

49 

.48 

16 

35 

20 

30 

19 

120  (Total) 

Border  area 


Corn,  bushels  

18.5 

30.7 

12  2 

31  3 

30  8 

24.7 

Oats,  bushels  

30.2 

19.1 

16  1 

34.3 

21.1 

24.2 

Winter  wheat,  bushels  

3.4 

14.2 

12.4 

27.1 

13.6 

14.1 

Soybeans,  bushels      

6  7 

9.5 

6  5 

9  3 

11   2 

8  6 

Redtop,  pounds  

63.0 

32.0 

33  0 

73  0 

74  0 

55.0 

Hay,  tons 
Redtop  

.70 

.81 

.36 

.66 

.59 

.61 

Soybean  

1.09 

1   14 

80 

1  38 

1  32 

1   15 

Timothy  

.95 

1.08 

.40 

1.27 

.67 

.87 

Clover  

1.24 

1.46 

.81 

1.21 

1.06 

1.16 

Alfalfa  

1.50 

1  61 

83 

2   19 

1  07 

1  44 

Clover  and  timothy  

1.35 

.66 

.77 

.93 

Cowpea  

.97 

.70 

1.12 

1.08 

.97 

Redtop  straw,  tons   

53 

76 

41 

56 

38 

53 

Number  of  farms  

16 

31 

36 

46 

30 

159  (Total) 

Price  Conditions. — During  the  period  1928-1932  farm  earnings  in 
the  redtop  district  were  affected  by  price  changes  more  than  by  climatic 
conditions.  For  the  first  two  years  of  the  period  prices  of  farm 

"See  Illinois  Cooperative  Crop  Reporting  Service  statistics  for  1921-1930. 
Averages  of  such  statistics  for  counties  were  compiled  by  the  Illinois  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Station  and  issued  in  mimeograph  form  in  July,  1932. 


276 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


products  were  relatively  stable,  but  during  the  last  three  years  prices 
of  nearly  all  products  of  the  district  experienced  a  continuous  and 
drastic  decline.  This  situation  affected  farm  incomes  during  those 
years,  not  only  because  of  lower  prices  received  for  each  succeeding 


1932 


FIG.  23. — MONTHLY  FARM  PRICES  OF  CATTLE,  DAIRY  PRODUCTS,  POULTRY  AND 
POULTRY  PRODUCTS,  AND  REDTOP  SEED  IN  ILLINOIS  IN  1928-1932, 

EXPRESSED  IN  TERMS  OF  1921-1929  PRICES 

In  1930,  when  relative  prices  of  other  products  important  in  southern  Illi- 
nois were  evidencing  continued  and  marked  decline,  the  price  of  redtop  seed 
advanced.  Thereafter  the  price  of  redtop  seed  dropped  until  by  August,  1932, 
it  was  less  than  25  percent  of  the  basic  figure. 


year's  production,  but  also  because  of  the  necessity  of  writing  down 
each  year  the  value  of  inventories  of  livestock  and  feed  on  hand. 
Gross  receipts  from  sale  of  farm  products  from  farms  keeping  records 
in  this  district  have  been  derived  chiefly  from  livestock  and  livestock 
products,  with  lesser  amounts  from  wheat  and  other  grain  and  from 
redtop  seed  (Figs.  23  and  24). 

Because   of   the  emergency  adjustments  made  necessary  by  the 
drastic  price  declines,  the  value  of  the  records  lies  chiefly  in  the  light 


1934-} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


277 


they  throw  upon  the  organization  of  the  redtop  farms,  which  changes 
slowly,  and  in  the  use  made  of  the  redtop  crop. 


1930 


FIG.  24. — MONTHLY  FARM  PRICES  OF  HOGS,  SHEEP  AND  LAMBS,  WHEAT,  AND 
REDTOP  SEED  IN  ILLINOIS  IN  1928-1932,  EXPRESSED  IN 

TERMS  OF  1921-1929  PRICES 

None  of  the  other  farm  products  dropped  to  so  low  a  relative  point  as  red- 
top  during  this  period,  altho  the  price  of  wheat  declined  earlier  and  has  been 
low  for  a  longer  period. 


Organization  of  Redtop  Farms  in.  the  Redtop  District 

The  general  features  of  the  organization  of  farms  in  the  central, 
or  redtop  seed,  area  and  in  the  border,  or  redtop  hay,  area  were  found 
to  be  quite  similar,  according  to  data  covering  the  period  1928-1932 
(Table  27).a 

•This  analysis  of  farm  organization  is  based  upon  farm  financial  records 
kept  by  farmers  in  cooperation  with  their  county  farm  bureaus  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  for  the  five-year  period  1928-1932.  For  this  period  a  total  of 
120  records  are  available  for  farms  growing  redtop  in  the  central  or  seed  area, 
comprizing  Wayne,  Marion,  Clay,  Richland,  and  Jasper  counties,  and  159 
records  in  the  border  or  hay  and  pasture  area  consisting  of  17  counties 
(Fig.  22). 


278 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


TABLE  27. — CROP  ACREAGES  AND  INVESTMENTS  ON  RECORD- KEEPING  FARMS  IN  THE 
REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  AVERAGE  FOR  1928-1932 


Item 


Central  redtop 
area 


Border  redtop 
area 


Total  number  of  records 

Area  of  crops  and  pasture 

Corn 

OaU 

Winter  wheat 

Soybeans 

Other  grains 

Total  grain 

Redtop  seed 

Total  hay 

Silage 

Other  crops 

Total  crops 

Total  tillable  pasture 

Nun  tillable  pasture 

Idle  lands 

Other  land  (farmstead,  waste,  etc.) . 

Total  farm 

Proportion  of  farm  tillable 


Acres  in  redtop 

Seed 

Hay 

Pasture 

Total 


Proportion  of  tillable  area  in  redtop  for  all  uses 

Proportion  of  hay  acreage  in  redtop  hay 

Proportion  of  tillable  pasture  in  redtop  pasture 

Proportion  of  crop  sales  from  redtop  seed  and  hay . . . 
Proportion  of  all  cash  receipts  from  redtop  seed  and  hay 

Value  of  land  per  acre 

Amount  of  capital  used  per  acre,  total 

Number  of  livestock  (except  work  stock)  per  farm .... 
Number  of  diary  cows  per  farm 


120 

acres 

32.4 

18.3 

11.2 

3.2 

.6 

(65.7) 

34.0 

26.5 

4.1 

3.7 

(134.1) 

52.1 

11.4 

4.4 

14.9 

(216.9) 


34.0 
5.4 
15.2 

(54.6) 


$33.86 
58.61 
6.01 
6.9 


perct. 


87.7 


62.0 
10.2 
27.8 


28.9 
17.6 
30.0 
39.3 
7.7 


159 

acres 
32.8 
19.1 
20.7 
2.1 

(75  !0) 

12.3 

25.0 

2.6 

2.5 

(117.4) 

45.8 

5.9 

2.1 

17.3 

(188.5) 


12.3 

7.0 

18.9 

(38.2) 


$39.80 
66.53 
5.91 
5.5 


perct. 


87.9 


32.6 
18.3 
49.1 


22.9 
27.4 
40.9 
17.1 
2.8 


Farms  in  the  seed  area  averaged  about  30  acres  larger  in  size  than 
the  farms  in  the  hay  and  pasture  area,  but  the  proportion  of  tillable 
land  and  the  average  acreages  per  farm  of  grain  crops  other  than 
winter  wheat  and  acreages  of  hay  and  tillable  pasture  were  quite  com- 
parable. Less  winter  wheat  was  grown  on  farms  in  the  seed  area  and 
nearly  twice  as  much  nontillable  pasture  was  found  on  these  farms 
as  on  the  farms  in  the  border  area. 

The  two  areas  differed  chiefly  in  acreage  of  redtop  and  in  the  pro- 
portion of  direct  cash  returns  from  this  crop.  In  neither  area  did 
redtop  sales  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  the  total  cash  receipts, 
altho  they  represented  almost  two-fifths  of  the  crop  sales  in  the 
central  area. 

The  average  acre- value  of  land  and  the  average  total  investment 
in  the  farm  business  were  similar  in  the  two  areas,  as  was  also  the 
investment  per  acre  in  livestock  other  than  work  stock.  Of  the  live- 
stock, cattle  were  the  most  important  both  in  amount  of  investment 


1934}  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  279 

and  in  sales  of  livestock  and  livestock  products.  Farms  in  the  seed 
area  averaged  6.9  cows  per  farm,  compared  with  5.5  in  the  border 
area.  In  both  areas  poultry  and  eggs  were  an  important  source  of 
income.  Larger  numbers  of  hogs  were  found  in  the  hay  and  pasture 
area  than  in  the  seed  area,  tho  in  both  areas  the  numbers  were  small 
compared  with  the  state  average.  Some  sheep  were  kept  in  each  area, 
tho  the  investment  was  larger  in  the  seed  area. 

The  reporting  farms  in  the  central  and  border  redtop  areas  were 
but  little  influenced  by  the  specialized  fruit  production  or  by  dairy 
farming,  tho  both  industries  have  assumed  important  proportions  in 
some  sections  of  the  areas. 

Redtop  in  the  Cropping  System 

The  differences  in  the  cropping  systems  of  the  central  or  redtop 
seed  area  and  the  border  or  redtop  hay  area  have  been  greatest  in 
regard  to  the  redtop  crop.  Returns  from  redtop  in  the  seed  area  were 
largely  direct  from  the  sales  of  seed  and  hay,  but  in  the  hay  and 
pasture  area,  the  returns  were  largely  indirect,  the  result  of  the  use 
of  redtop  in  the  production  of  livestock  and  livestock  products.  The 
following  summary  shows  the  acreages  devoted  to  seed,  hay,  and  pas- 
ture in  each  area  in  1928-1932  and  the  percentage  which  each  acreage 
was  of  the  total  redtop  acreage  of  the  area. 


Seed.. 

Cent 
seed 
acres 
34.0 

ral  or 
area 
perct. 
62.0 
10.2 
27.8 
100.0 

Border  or  hay  and 
pasture  area 
acres       perct. 
12.3        32.6 
7.0         18.3 
18.9        49.1 
38.2       100.0 

Hay.. 

5.4 

Pasture  

15.2 

Total  .  . 

54.6 

The  small  proportion  of  farm  receipts  from  crops  in  the  central 
or  seed  area  and  the  large  part  from  livestock  and  livestock  products 
indicates  that  the  major  part  of  the  crops  grown  has  been  utilized  on 
the  farm.  The  proportion  of  the  farm  acreage  used  for  various  kinds 
of  crops  on  record-keeping  farms  in  the  redtop  district  is  shown  in 
Table  28. 

Classes  of  Crops. — Grain  and  seed  crops  made  up  slightly  less  than 
half  the  farm  acreage  in  the  central  or  seed  area,  redtop  seed  account- 
ing for  about  one-third  of  this  amount  on  the  record-keeping  farms 
in  1928-1932.  The  hay,  silage,  and  grazing  area  occupied  nearly  as 
much  of  the  land  as  the  grain  and  seed  crops.  About  one-sixth  of  the 
pasture  area  was  untillable.  The  kinds  of  feed  and  cash  crops  raised 


280 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


TABLE  28. — PROPORTIONS  OF  FARM  ACREAGE  USED  FOR  VARIOUS  KINDS  OF  CROPS  ON 

RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS,  CENTRAL  OR  SEED  AREA,  REDTOP 

DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Number  of  records  

16 

35 

20 

30 

19 

24 

Average  size  of  farm,  acres  .  .  . 

211.9 

200.6 

232.0 

215.5 

224.4 

216.9 

Percentage  of  farm  area  used  as  specified 


Grain  crops  

22.4 

29.3 

32.9 

34.8 

31.7 

30.3 

Miscellaneous  

3.5 

1.3 

1.7 

1.9 

.7 

1.7 

Redtop  seed  

20.3 

18.9 

12.3 

15.6 

11.9 

15.7 

Total  grain  and  seed  crops 
Hay  and  silage  

46.2 
15.1 

49.5 
11.5 

46.9 
15.9 

52.3 
10.7 

44.3 
17.0 

47.7 
14.1 

Tillable  pasture  

27.8 

21.9 

23.6 

22.4 

24.3 

24.0 

Untillable  pasture   

2.5 

4.6 

5.0 

5.1 

8.7 

5.3 

Other  land  

8.4 

12.5 

8.6 

9.5 

5.7 

8.9 

Total  

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

and  the  place  which  redtop  occupied  on  these  farms  are  shown  in 
Table  29. 

With  the  smaller  area  per  farm  in  the  border  or  hay  and  pasture 
area,  a  larger  proportion  of  the  land  was  in  grain  crops  but  less  in 
redtop  seed  and  hay  in  1928-1932  than  in  the  seed  area.  Redtop  was 
more  important  as  a  pasture  crop  than  as  a  seed  or  hay  crop  (Table 
30). 

Hay  Crops. — A  large  variety  of  harvested  forage  crops  was  used 
on  the  reporting  farms  in  both  areas,  but  there  were  but  few  indi- 
vidual farms  that  used  more  than  two  kinds  of  such  feed  (Table  31). 

Soybeans  were  the  most  generally  grown  hay  crop,  followed  by 
redtop  and  timothy.  The  acid  character  of  the  soil  has  definitely 
limited  the  acreages  of  clovers  and  alfalfa  where  liming  programs 
have  not  been  undertaken.  From  a  feed  standpoint  it  is  significant 
that  69  percent  of  the  hay  acreage  in  the  central  area  and  57  percent 
in  the  border  area  during  the  five-year  period  1928-1932  were  devoted 
to  legumes,  and  that  the  yields  of  legume  hays  were  higher  than  those 
of  nonlegumes  (Table  26).  One-fifth  of  the  record-keeping  farms  in 
both  groups  used  silage  in  addition  to  hay  crops. 

Pasture  Crops. — Pasture  crops,  like  hay  crops,  present  a  variety 
for  the  central  or  seed  area  as  a  whole.  On  individual  farms,  how- 
ever, there  has  been  a  tendency  for  the  number  of  such  crops  to  be 
limited.  About  one-third  of  the  record-keeping  farms  in  the  two 
areas  had  some  nontillable  pasture.  Of  the  pasture  crops  on  tillable 
land  redtop  and  bluegrass  were  grown  most  widely  (Table  32).  In 
about  one-fifth  of  the  fields  of  redtop,  this  grass  was  mixed  with 


19341 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


281 


TABLE  29. — AVERAGE  ACREAGE  PER  FARM  IN  SPECIFIED  CROPS,  IN  TILLABLE  PAS- 
TURES, AND  IN  MISCELLANEOUS  USES,  ON  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS, 
CENTRAL  OR  SEED  AREA,  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Number  of  records   

16 

35 

20 

30 

19 

24 

Average  size  of  farm,  acres.  .  . 
Grain  and  seed  crops 

211.9 

acres 
23.6 

200.6 

acres 
34.3 

232.0 

acres 
32.3 

215.6 

acres 
36  2 

224.4 

acres 
35  4 

216.9 

acres 
32  4 

Oats  

17.1 

11.6 

22.6 

18.9 

21.3 

18  3 

Winter  wheat  

4.9 

8.5 

16.4 

13.8 

12.7 

11.2 

1.4 

3.7 

4.8 

4.2 

1   7 

3  2 

.4 

.7 

.2 

1.8 

6 

Redtop  seed  

43.0 

37.9 

28.6 

33.7 

26.7 

34.0 

7.3 

2.7 

3.8 

4.2 

1.5 

3  7 

Total  

97.7 

99.4 

108.7 

112.8 

99.3 

103.4 

Hay  and  silage  crops 
Nonlegume 
Redtop   

2.9 

4.5 

4.5 

3.7 

11.3 

5  4 

Timothy  

8.3 

2.6 

1.9 

1.2 

1.2 

3.0 

.4 

2 

1  4 

4 

Silage     

2.8 

1.9 

10.7 

1.9 

3.1 

4.1 

Legume 

17.8 

10.2 

12.7 

15.2 

14  6 

14  1 

.2 

.3 

2.5 

.6 

Clover  

1.5 

2.6 

.2 

3.0 

1.5 

Clover  and  timothy  
Alfalfa   

.2 

1.2 
.7 

1.9 

2.3 

.3 

.8 

.8 
.7 

Total    

32.0 

23.1 

36  8 

23  0 

38  1 

30  6 

Total  crops  

129.7 

122.4 

145.5 

135.8 

137.4 

134.1 

Tillable  pasture 
Nonlegume 
Redtop  

8.9 

16.7 

12.1 

6.4 

13.5 

11.5 

Redtop,  mixed  

7.4 

3.2 

2.4 

5.7 

3.7 

Bluegrass  

10.9 

11.1 

27.4 

25.3 

29.0 

20.7 

.3 

2  0 

7 

2  0 

1  0 

Mixed        

18.8 

5.8 

1.4 

1.2 

5.4 

Miscellaneous  

7.4 

2.3 

.4 

3.0 

2.7 

Legume 
Clover   

Clover  and  timothy  

6.9 

.4 

4.5 

2.4 

Sweet  clover     

5.6 

4.5 

2  6 

8   1 

2.6 

4.7 

Legume  mixed  

Total  tillable  pasture.  . 

59.0 
5.3 

43.9 
9.3 

54.8 
11  5 

48.2 
11  0 

54.6 
19  6 

52.1 
11  4 

Idle  land  

2.6 

8.0 

3  8 

5  8 

1  9 

4  4 

Other  land  .  . 

15.3 

17.0 

16.4 

14.7 

10.9 

14.9 

other  pasture  crops.  Of  the  legume  pasture  crops,  sweet  clover  was 
most  important,  occurring  on  about  one-third  of  the  farms  in  the  seed 
area  and  on  one-fourth  in  the  hay  area. 

Competition  of  Redtop  With  Other  Crops 

The  problem  with  respect  to  redtop  in  the  counties  in  question 
has  been  not  so  much  one  of  competition  with  other  crops  for  the  use 
of  land  and  labor,  as  lack  of  such  competition,  and  a  consequent 
tendency  to  swell  production  of  redtop  beyond  normal  demands. 

Conditions  of  soil  and  climate  combine  in  these  counties  to  set 
rather  close  limits  to  the  acreages  of  annual  spring-seeded  crops  that 


282 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


TABLE  30. — AVERAGE  ACREAGE  PER  FARM  IN  SPECIFIED  CROPS,  IN  TILLABLE  PAS- 
TURES, AND  IN  MISCELLANEOUS  USES,  ON  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS,  BORDER  OR 
HAY  AND  PASTURE  AREA,  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

16 

31 

36 

46 

30 

312 

Average  size  of  farm,  acres  .  . 

Grain  and  seed  crops 
Corn  

184.6 
35.6 

168.6 
27.7 

178.1 
30.6 

211.9 
37.3 

199.1 
32.6 

188.5 
32  8 

Oats  

19.6 

13.5 

17.0 

22.5 

23.0 

19.1 

Winter  wheat  

15.7 

24.4 

18.4 

22.8 

22.5 

20.7 

1.3 

1.7 

2.4 

3.5 

1.7 

2   1 

Other  grains  

.4 

.9 

.3 

Redtop  seed  

11.0 

10.8 

13.4 

15.1 

11.3 

12.3 

5.3 

2.4 

1.0 

1.4 

2  4 

2  5 

Total  

88.5 

80.9 

82.8 

103.5 

93.5 

89.8 

Hay  and  silage  crops 
Nonlegume 
Redtop  

7.1 

5.4 

7.4 

8.0 

6  6 

7  0 

Timothy    

2.5 

3.2 

2.8 

5.3 

2.0 

3.2 

Miscellaneous  

.1 

1.2 

.7 

.5 

.2 

.5 

Silage  

5.3 

2.4 

1.0 

1.4 

2.4 

2.5 

Legumes 
Soybeans  

6.6 

4.9 

5.5 

10.8 

8.8 

7.3 

4.1 

.7 

2.0 

2.3 

3.0 

2  4 

Clover   

3.6 

3.7 

2.2 

1.6 

3.2 

2.9 

Clover  and  timothy  

2.0 

.8 

.6 

.3 

.7 

Alfalfa  

.5 

1.3 

1.2 

.8 

1.5 

1.0 

Total  

29.8 

24.8 

23.6 

31.3 

28.0 

27.5 

Total  crops  

114.3 

106.1 

109.3 

136  4 

121   2 

117.4 

Tillable  pasture 
Nonlegumes 
Redtop          

7.9 

13.2 

7.8 

16.7 

10.3 

11.2 

Redtop  mixed  

13.6 

4.6 

6.2 

10.3 

3.8 

7.7 

Bluegrass  

9.1 

13.0 

15.2 

12.4 

9.3 

11.8 

Timothy      

2.3 

4.4 

1.7 

1.1 

1.9 

Mixed  

4.1 

1.9 

6.1 

7.3 

3.9 

6.7 

4 

2  0 

9 

4  6 

2.9 

Legume 
Clover  

.5 

.1 

2.1 

4  7 

1   1 

1.6 

Sweet  clover  

3.2 

5.5 

1.9 

6.1 

5.0 

4.4 

Legume  mixed   

.2 

.2 

.1 

Total  tillable  pasture  .  . 
Nontillable  pasture.    .    .    . 

45.6 
2.4 

41.1 
2  3 

44.6 
6  3 

54.4 

7  8 

42.7 
10  8 

45.8 
5.9 

Idle  land  

3.4 

2.6 

.1 

6 

3.9 

2.1 

Other  land  

18.9 

16.5 

17.8 

12.7 

20.5 

17.3 

can  be  handled  with  the  labor  and  equipment  on  the  average  farm. 
Therefore  a  crop  such  as  redtop,  which  is  not  seeded  in  the  spring  or 
which  stands  for  several  years,  supplements  rather  than  competes  with 
corn,  wheat,  oats,  and  annual  hay  crops,  since  it  serves  to  increase 
the  crop  area.  Redtop  competes  more  directly  with  timothy  (mixed 
with  clover  and  unmixed),  soybeans,  cowpeas,  and  the  clovers.  The 
bulk  of  the  redtop  is  sown  on  unlimed  ground  where  clovers  will  not 
grow. 

Timothy  and  clover  require  the  same  amount  of  labor  at  nearly 
the  same  time  as  redtop.    The  outcome  of  the  competition  between 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


283 


TABLE  31. — PROPORTION  OF  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS  HARVESTING  SPECIFIED  HAY 

CROPS  AND  SILAGE,  AND  ACREAGES  OF  EACH,  REDTOP 

DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

Central  or  seed  area* 

Border  or  hay  and  pasture  areab 

Percentage 
of  farms 
harvesting 
crop 

Average 
acreage 
of  crop 
per  farm 

Percentage 
of  farms 
with  crop 
specified 

Average 
acreage 
of  crop 
per  farm 

\onlcgume  hay  crops 
Redtop       

26 
22 

20.0 
12.3 

14.2 

16.8 
14.4 
11.2 
13.4 
12.3 

34 
38 
9 

20 

59 
23 
21 
9 
16 

20.6 
12.4 
6.6 

12.7 

12.9 
10.2 
12.4 
9.1 

7.4 

Timothy        

Miscellaneous  

Silage  

22 

81 
5 
12 
6 

5 

Legume  hay  crops 
Soybeans  

Cowpeas  

Clover  

Clover  and  timothy'.  

Alfalfa  

•Based  on  records  of  farms  for  various  portions  of  the  period  indicated,  totaling  120  farm-years. 
bBased  on  records  of  farms  for  various  portions  of  the  period  indicated,  totaling  159  farm-years. 

redtop  and  timothy  is  dependent  mainly  on  their  relative  suitability  to 
the  locality,  the  utilization  to  be  made  of  them,  and  the  preference 
of  individual  producers. 

Soybeans  and  cowpeas  do  not  compete  so  directly  with  redtop 
from  the  labor  standpoint  inasmuch  as  their  planting  comes  ahead  of 
redtop  harvest  and  their  harvest  time  much  later.  In  utilization  on 
the  farm,  however,  they  displace  much  redtop  hay  or  straw.  Replies 
by  farmers  to  an  inquiry  in  1932  as  to  what  would  be  done  with  the 


TABLE  32. — PROPORTION  OF  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS  HAVING  VARIOUS  KINDS  OF 

PASTURE  CROPS,  AND  ACREAGES  OF  EACH,  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF 

ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

Central  or  seed  area* 

Border  or  hay  and  pasture  areab 

Percentage  of 
farms  with 
kind  of  pastur- 
age indicated 

Average 
acreage 
in  pasture 
per  farm 

Percentage 
of  farms 
with  crop 
specified 

Average 
acreage 
of  crop 
per  farm 

\onlegume  pasture  crops 
Redtop  

43 
40 
6 
12 

'6 
32 

35.9 
50.4 
15.6 
40.4 

33l6 
15.2 

57 
36 
8 
8 
10 

1 
6 
25 
3 

37.5 
37.3 
25.9 
28.2 
33.0 

17.0 
23.2 
17.8 
9.4 

Bluegrass  

Timothy          

Mixed  

Miscellaneous  

Legume  pasture  crops 
Clover      

Clover  and  timothy  

Sweet  clover  

Mixed  legume  

•See  footnote  a.  Table  31.    bSee  footnote  b.  Table  31. 


2cU 


BULLETIN  No.  404 


[June, 


released  land  if  red  top  seed  acreage  were  cut  20  percent  indicate  that 
the  land  would  be  pastured  or  sown  to  legumes.  On  most  farms  the 
pasture  would  simply  be  redtop  pasture. 

Because  of  the  sourness  of  most  redtop  land,  the  chief  legumes 
planted  in  substitution  for  redtop  would  necessarily  be  soybeans  and 
cowpeas.  Increased  production  of  legumes  points  toward  increased 
ability  to  carry  livestock  successfully  thru  the  winter,  this  in  turn 
calling  for  more  pasture  in  summer  and  a  change  in  the  manner  of 
utilizing  redtop  rather  than  much  decrease  in  acreage. 

Business  Analysis  of  Account-Keeping  Farms 
in  the  Redtop  District 

A  marked  similarity  existed  not  only  in  general  organization  but 
also  in  amounts  and  sources  of  receipts  and  in  operating  expenses  on 
the  record-keeping  farms  in  the  two  areas  of  the  redtop  district.  Data 
from  the  central  or  seed  area  will  be  used  to  illustrate  the  financial 
aspects  of  the  farm  business  of  the  entire  district. 

Investments,  Income,  and  Expenses. — The  average  acreage  and  the 
average  valuation  of  real  estate  per  farm  on  the  record-keeping  farms 
in  the  central  or  seed  area  during  the  period  1928-1932  wrere  larger 


TABLE  33. — DISTRIBUTION  OF  FARM  INVESTMENTS  ON  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS, 
CENTRAL  OR  SEED  AREA,  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Number  of  records      

16 

35 

20 

30 

19 

24 

Average  size  of  farm,  acres.  .  . 
Land  

211.9 
$8  310 

200.6 
$6  938 

232.0 
$8  308 

215.5 
$6  868 

224.4 
$6  301 

216.9 
$7  345 

1  364 

1  933 

2  509 

1  815 

1   704 

1   863 

Horses  

283 

364 

371 

240 

277 

307 

Cattle  

634 

731 

1    125 

754 

853 

820 

Hogs  

126 

115 

182 

107 

94 

125 

Sheep    

258 

141 

246 

119 

54 

164 

Bees  

6 

7 

3 

3 

Poultry      .            ... 

185 

202 

229 

190 

171 

196 

Machinery  and  equipment.  .  . 
Feed  and  grain  

765 

724 

1  045 
816 

1   269 
1   350 

1  048 
803 

807 
821 

987 
903 

Total  

$12  649 

$12  291 

$15  596 

$11  947 

$11  082 

$12  713 

than  for  all  farms  in  these  counties,  as  shown  by  the  Census.12*  Total 
valuations  were  low,  however,  when  compared  with  many  areas  in  the 
state,  owing  to  a  limited  capacity  for  the  production  of  farm  products, 
at  least  for  market  disposal,  and  in  turn  to  a  relatively  small  volume 
of  business  per  farm  (Table  33). 

Records  of  investment   in   different  kinds  of  livestock  on  these 
farms  show  that,  while  only  limited  numbers  of  animals  were  being 


1934] 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


285 


kept,  returns  from  livestock  and  livestock  products  during  the  per- 
iod 1928-1932  made  up  from  71.5  to  96.9  percent  of  the  total  farm 
receipts  (Table  34).  The  returns  from  each  item  represent  the  net 

TABLE  34. — SOURCES  OF  RETURNS  ON  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS,  CENTRAL  OR  SEED 
AREA,  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Source  of  receipts 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Actual  returns  in  dollars 


Horses  

$  11 

$.  .  . 

$.  .  . 

$.  •  • 

$  27 

$     1 

Cattle    

324 

321 

258 

134 

73 

222 

Hogs  

165 

312 

400 

157 

164 

240 

Sheep     

195 

88 

28 

17 

16 

69 

Poultry     

104 

169 

157 

93 

90 

123 

Egg  sales  ,_  

225 

341 

305 

222 

184 

255 

Dairy  sales   

585 

317 

487 

286 

398 

415 

Feed  and  grain  

267 

477 

301 

145 

Labor  off  farm  

79 

69 

48 

56 

39 

58 

Miscellaneous  receipts 

3 

3 

4 

5 

1 

3 

Total  receipts  

$1  958 

$2  097 

$1  678 

$1   271 

$992 

$1  531 

Distribution  of  returns  expressed  as  percentages  of  total  returns 


Horses  

.6 

2.7 

.1 

Cattle  

16.6 

15.3 

15.3 

10.5 

7.4 

14.5 

Hogs  

8.4 

14.9 

23.7 

12.4 

16.5 

15.7 

Sheep     

10  0 

4.2 

1   7 

1.3 

1.6 

4.5 

Poultry      

5.3 

8.1 

9.3 

7.3 

9.1 

8.0 

Egg  sales  

11.5 

16.3 

18.1 

17.5 

18.6 

16.6 

Dairy  sales   

29.9 

15.1 

28.9 

22  5 

40.1 

27.1 

Feed  and  grain  

13.6 

22.7 

23.7 

9.5 

Labor  off  farm  

4.0 

3.3 

2.8 

4.4 

3.9 

3.8 

Miscellaneous     

.1 

.1 

2 

.4 

.1 

.2 

Total  

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

gain  after  purchases,  sales,  and  changes  in  inventory  values  are  taken 
into  account.  The  downward  trend  in  total  returns  from  these  farms 
after  1929  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  decline  in  prices  of  the  prod- 
ucts and  not  by  a  decrease  in  the  physical  quantities  sold. 

Yearly  net  gains  recorded  in  the  feed  and  grain  account  over  the 
five-year  period  averaged  only  $145  a  farm,  or  an  amount  just  equal 
to  the  sales  of  redtop  seed  from  these  farms.  Crop  sales  included  a 
considerable  part  of  the  wheat  and  some  feed  crops  as  well  as  red- 
top  seed  and  hay.  Sales  of  wheat  and  feed  crops  therefore  offset  the 
value  of  feeds  purchased.  On  most  farms  crops  were  grown  largely 
to  meet  the  farm's  feed  requirements  altho  some  emphasis  was  placed 
on  producing  readily  salable  crops. 

In  comparison  with  the  central  redtop  area,  the  farm  investment 
in  the  border  or  hay  and  pasture  area  showed  somewhat  more  hogs 
and  poultry  and  fewer  cattle  and  sheep.  On  the  farms  in  the  border 


286 


BULLETIN  No.  4<H 


[June, 


area  livestock  and  livestock  products  accounted  for  an  even  greater 
proportion  of  the  income,  chiefly  because  of  smaller  sales  of  redtop 
seed. 

The  total  volume  of  business  on  the  farms  in  both  areas,  as  meas- 
ured by  the  gross  returns,  was  small  even  in  favorable  years.  No 
allowance  has  been  made  for  farm-grown  produce  consumed  by  the 
farm  family.  Operating  expenses  include  cash  outlays  for  taxes, 
hired  labor,  repairs,  and  miscellaneous  items  and  also  depreciation  on 
farm  buildings,  machinery  and  livestock,  net  losses  on  other  accounts, 
and  allowances  for  the  labor  of  the  operator  and  members  of  his 
family. 

When  total  expenses  (Table  35)  are  compared  with  gross  reurns, 
the  net  income  per  farm  left  to  apply  on  the  invested  capital  and  to 


TABLE  35. — DISTRIBUTION  OF  FARM  EXPENSES  AND  ALLOWANCES,  AND  RATE  EARNED 

ON  RECORD-KEEPING  FARMS,  CENTRAL  OR  SEED  AREA,  REDTOP 

DISTRICT  OF  ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Farm  expenses  and  allowances 
Farm  improvements  

$85 

$107 

$140 

$123 

$116 

$114 

Horses  

4 

12 

14 

Other  livestock  

2 

1 

25 

12 

51 

18 

Machinery  and  equipment  

235 

156 

262 

121 

187 

192 

Feed  and  grain  

56 

167 

11 

7 

25 

10 

20 

15 

159 

102 

151 

111 

60 

117 

Hired  labor  

57 

121 

114 

103 

62 

91    • 

Operator  and  family  labor  

831 

807 

807 

697 

588 

746 

Taxes    .         

143 

136 

172 

122 

120 

139 

Miscellaneous  

22 

20 

27 

21 

18 

22 

Total  expenses  

$1  545 

$1   461 

$1   791 

$1   334 

$1   389 

$1   454 

Net  return  

$313 

$636 

$-104 

$-  63 

$-397 

$  77 

2  5 

5  2 

_   7 

_  5 

—3  6 

6 

Return  for  use  of  capital  and  for  operator's 
N»    labor  and  management  

$900 

$1   234 

$488 

$404 

$-     1 

$605 

Interest  on  investment  at  5  percent  

632 

614 

780 

597 

554 

635 

268 

620 

—  282 

—  193 

—555 

—  30 

pay  for  the  managing  ability  of  the  operator  amounted  in  the  central 
or  seed  area  to  $313  in  1928  and  $636  in  1929,  or  2.47  percent  and 
5.18  percent  respectively  of  the  total  invested  capital.  In  1930,  1931, 
and  1932,  however,  because  of  the  combined  effects  of  the  drouth  in 
1930  and  of  the  price  declines  in  all  three  years,  the  total  yearly  re- 
ceipts lacked  $104,  $63,  and  $397  respectively  of  equaling  the  total 
expenses.  Since  the  labor  and  managing  activities  of  the  operator  rep- 
resent his  time  and  effort  and  do  not  require  a  cash  outlay,  the  re- 
turn to  the  operator  may  be  expressed  as  the  balance  remaining  after 
the  other  operating  expenses  have  been  deducted  from  the  gross  re- 


19341 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


287 


turns  and  an  allowance  made  for  the  use  of  invested  capital.  Ex- 
pressed in  this  way  an  average  wage  of  $268  was  received  by  these 
farm  operators  in  1928  and  of  $620  in  1929,  in  addition  to  the  value 
of  the  contributions  toward  family  living  obtained  directly  from  the 
farm,  but  in  the  three  following  years  the  total  returns  lacked  $282, 
$192,  and  $555  respectively  of  paying  other  expenses  and  compensat- 
ing for  the  use  of  capital. 

Expenses  were  practically  the  same  in  both  areas,  but  because  of 
lower  receipts  the  farm  operators  in  the  hay  area  received  approxi- 
mately $100  less  per  farm  each  year  than  those  in  the  seed  area. 

Changes  in  Cash  Receipts  and  Cash  Expenses  Since  1930. — Drastic 
price  declines,  such  as  those  from  1930  to  1932,  were  naturally  asso- 
ciated with  adjustments  in  cash  receipts  and  expenses.  Noncash 
expenses,  such  as  depreciation  on  farm  buildings  and  machinery,  in- 
creased because  replacements  and  repairs  were  postponed,  and  reduc- 

TABLE  36. — DISTRIBUTION  OF  CASH  RECEIPTS  AND  CASH  EXPENSES  ON  RECORD- 
KEEPING  FARMS,  CENTRAL  OR  SEED  AREA,  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF 
ILLINOIS,  1928-1932 


Item 

1928 

1929 

1930 

1931 

1932 

Average 

Cash  receipts 
Hones           

$  18 

$  47 

$  43 

$  16 

$  44 

$  34 

Cattle          

454 

307 

351 

146 

217 

295 

Hogs          

230 

317 

454 

203 

193 

279 

Sheep  

168 

88 

96 

51 

31 

87 

Poultry      

131 

179 

172 

118 

111 

142 

Egg  sales  

225 

341 

305 

222 

184 

255 

Dairy  sales   

585 

317 

487 

286 

398 

415 

406 

464 

514 

385 

191 

392 

Labor  off  farm  

79 

69 

48 

56 

39 

58 

Miscellaneous  

42 

132 

31 

137 

32 

75 

Total  cash  receipts  

$2  338 

$2  261 

$2  501 

$1  620 

$1   440 

$2  032 

Cash  expenses 
Farm  improvements  

$109 

$109 

$104 

$  63 

$  56 

$  88 

Horses  

29 

13 

8 

33 

31 

23 

Purchases,  other  livestock  

289 

171 

139 

68 

140 

161 

Machinery  

304 

311 

307 

211 

172 

261 

393 

380 

485 

150 

105 

302 

Livestock  expense  

11 

7 

25 

10 

20 

15 

Crop  expense  

159 

102 

151 

111 

60 

117 

Hired  labor  

57 

121 

114 

103 

62 

91 

Taxes  

143 

136 

172 

122 

120 

139 

Miscellaneous  

22 

20 

27 

21 

18 

22 

Total  cash  expenses.  

$1  516 

$1  370 

$1  532 

$892 

$784 

$1  219 

Cash  receipts  less  cash  expense  .  .  , 

*822 

$891 

$969 

$728 

$656 

$813 

tions  in  inventory  values  were  not  apparent  until  products  were  sold 
at  a  later  date. 

When  farm  incomes  are  expressed  on  a  basis  of  cash  receipts  and 
expenses,  only  a  partial  picture  of  the  farm's  earnings  is  given,  since 
no  provision  is  made  for  the  unpaid  labor  of  the  operator  and  his 


288  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

family  and  all  changes  in  inventory  values  are  disregarded.  Yet  such  a 
presentation  for  the  period  1928-1932  serves  to  emphasize  the  adjust- 
ments made.  The  figures  for  receipts  and  expenses  are  gross,  and  are 
larger,  therefore,  than  the  corresponding  net  figures  given  in  Table  36. 

When  expressed  on  a  cash  basis  some  items  of  income  have  a 
tendency  to  carry  over  into  the  succeeding  year,  since  returns  on  one 
year's  production  of  crops  or  livestock  are  frequently  not  realized  as 
sales  until  after  the  beginning  of  the  next  calendar  year.  This  is 
illustrated  by  the  high  returns  for  1930,  the  severe  drouth  year,  in 
which  crop  production  was  severely  affected.  The  resulting  shortage 
of  feeds  during  the  latter  half  of  that  year  probably  caused  the 
marketing  of  some  livestock  which  would  otherwise  have  been  held. 
Total  cash  receipts  showed  a  marked  reduction  in  1931,  with  still 
further  reductions  in  1932. 

As  receipts  decreased,  cash  expenses  were  reduced  in  even  greater 
degree.  For  this  reason  the  excess  of  cash  receipts  above  operating 
expenses  declined  less  than  either  the  cash  receipts  or  cash  expenses. 
The  total  amount  above  cash  operating  expenses,  however,  averaged 
less  than  $1,000  annually  per  farm  during  each  year  of  this  period. 
Considering  both  the  small  cash  expenses  and  the  low  margin  above 
them  available  for  all  personal  and  family  requirements  and  for  pay- 
ments on  debts,  it  is  obvious  that  there  has  been  need  of  increased 
gross  receipts  from  these  farms. 

How  Redtop  Has  Been  Used  on  Selected  Farms 

The  place  that  redtop  may  generally  fill  in  the  organization  of 
farms  in  this  territory  may  be  illustrated  by  the  situation  on  three  indi- 
vidual farms  during  the  four-year  period  1929-1932  (Table  37). 
These  farms  had  approximately  the  same  land  value  per  acre  and 
about  the  same  investment  in  livestock  in  relation  to  acreage.  Farm  A 
represents  an  over-emphasis  on  redtop  on  a  small  farm,  while  Farms 
B  and  C  show  good  use  of  the  crop  on  a  large  farm  and  on  an  average- 
sized  farm. 

Farm  A,  the  smallest  of  the  three  farms,  consists  of  126  acres  of 
tillable  land  of  which  66  acres,  or  54.5  percent,  of  the  tillable  area 
was  in  redtop.  Of  this  area,  26  acres  were  harvested  for  seed  and 
gave  an  average  yield  of  43  pounds  an  acre ;  1 1  acres  were  cut  for 
hay,  and  29  acres  were  pastured.  Sales  of  redtop  seed  made  up  91.5 
percent  of  the  crop  sales.  The  only  legume  grown  was  soybeans, 
which  occupied  an  average  of  17  acres  each  year.  Yearly  gross  re- 


1934} 


PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP 


289 


turns  an  acre  averaged  $4.42,  of  which  livestock  and  livestock  pro- 
ducts made  up  75.5  percent.  Eggs,  dairy  products,  and  cattle  were 
the  more  important  sources  of  livestock  income.  This  farm  had  6 


TABLE  37. — ORGANIZATION  OF  THREE  FARMS  IN  THE  REDTOP  DISTRICT  OF 
ILLINOIS,  AVERAGE  FOR  1929-1932 


Item 

Farm  A 

Farm  B 

Farm  C 

126 

400 

210 

Value  of  land  per  acre  

$23.75 

$25.88 

$23.57 

43.00 

39   15 

48  37 

Percentage  of  tillable  area  in  redtop  

54.5 

42.5 

19.1 

Percentage  of  crop  sales  from  redtop  

91.5 

51.3 

36.4 

Percentage  of  returns  from  — 
Cattle        

18.0 

7.2 

7.5 

Hogs        

5.1 

39.8 

32.3 

Sheep                       -             .    .        .                  

6  6 

29.3 

11  5 

21  9 

23.2 

16.6 

8.2 

15.8 

8.2 

29.2 

Labor  

7.2 

9.0 

.5 

Miscellaneous  sources     

1.4 

1.1 

.4 

Total         

100.0 

100  0 

100  0 

A  verage  acres  in  —  • 

32 

104 

81 

Legume  seed  crops    

1 

3 

Redtop  seed  

26 

109 

28 

Redtop  hay  

11 

5 

2 

17 

41 

13 

Redtop  pasture    

29 

54 

5 

81 

19 

Legume  pasture  

11 

Nontillable  pasture  

21 

Other  land  

5 

6 

32 

Total  acres  

126 

400 

210 

Crop  yields 
Corn,  bushels  

14.7 

24.0 

29.4 

Oats,  bushels  

18.0 

17.0 

29.5 

Wheat,  bushels   

15.1 

21.4 

Redtop  seed,  pounds  

42.8 

30.2 

77.1 

Gross  returns  per  acre  

$4.42 

$5.90 

$9.25 

Gross  returns  per  farm  

$556 

$2  350 

$1   940 

$-287 

$8 

$174 

Rate  earned  on  investment,  percent    

-10.0 

2.2 

3.3 

Investment  in  livestock  per  acre    

$4.60 

$4.10 

$4.20 

Returns  from  livestock  per  acre  

$3.00 

$4.75 

$6.45 

Returns  per  $  100  invested  in  livestock  

$65.00 

$116.00 

$153.00 

cows,  1  sow,  and  164  hens  for  the  average  of  the  period.  Gross  re- 
turns, net  earnings,  crop  yields,  and  efficiency  of  livestock  were  all 
low. 

While  many  circumstances  may  contribute  to  these  results,  it  is 
evident  that  on  this  small  farm  too  large  a  proportion  of  the  acreage 
was  in  redtop,  an  extensive  type  of  crop,  and  insufficient  legumes 
were  grown  to  maintain  soil  fertility  or  to  provide  the  most  desirable 
combination  of  feed  crops. 


290  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

Farm  B  was  a  large  unit  of  400  acres,  of  which  168  acres,  or  42.5 
percent,  of  the  tillable  area  was  in  redtop.  Redtop  seed  was  harvested 
from  an  average  of  109  acres,  hay  was  cut  from  5  acres,  and  54  acres 
were  used  for  pasture.  Redtop  accounted  for  51.3  percent  of  crop 
sales.  Gross  returns  amounted  to  $5.90  an  acre,  of  which  81.7  percent 
was  from  livestock  sources.  Hogs  accounted  for  two-fifths  of  the 
total  returns,  and  substantial  amounts  were  received  from  dairy  sales 
and  poultry.  This  farm  had  an  average  of  14  cows,  5  sows,  38  sheep, 
and  179  hens.  As  compared  with  Farm  A,  yields  of  corn  were  higher 
and  those  of  redtop  seed  lower.  The  relatively  low  yields  of  redtop 
seed  resulted  partly  from  renting  some  lower-value  seed  land,  which 
was  handled  apart  from  the  regular  cropping  plan.  An  average  of  41 
acres  of  soybeans  was  grown,  all  of  which  was  harvested  for  hay. 

Gross  returns  and  net  earnings  on  Farm  B  were  much  above  the 
average  for  the  farms  of  the  district  and  the  acre-returns  from  live- 
stock exceeded  those  on  Farm  A.  On  Farm  B  the  acreage  in  grain 
and  legume  crops  was  equal  to  the  average  total  crop  acreage  on  farms 
of  the  district;  and  the  redtop  seed  and  hay  acreage  was  additional. 
Bluegrass  and  timothy  furnished  the  major  part  and  redtop  a  little 
more  than  one-fourth  of  the  pasture  area.  In  one  year  64  acres  of 
annual  pasture  was  seeded. 

Farm  C  consisted  of  210  acres,  about  the  average  for  the  farms 
keeping  records.  Twenty  acres  were  nontillable  pasture.  This  farm 
had  30  acres,  or  19.1  percent  of  the  tillable  area,  in  redtop;  of  this, 
28  acres  were  harvested  for  seed  and  2  acres  for  hay.  Alsike  clover, 
red  clover,  and  soybeans  were  grown  for  hay  or  pasture.  Yields  of 
grain  crops  and  of  redtop  seed  were  much  higher  than  on  Farms  A 
and  B,  reflecting  the  effects  of  a  fertility  program.  An  average  of  7 
cows,  3  sows,  and  214  hens  was  kept.  While  the  returns  an  acre  from 
livestock  exceeded  those  from  the  other  farms,  there  was  also  a  con- 
siderable income  from  crop  sales.  Gross  receipts  amounted  to  $9.25  an 
acre,  of  which  69.9  percent  was  from  livestock  sources  and  29.2  per- 
cent from  crops.  Returns  from  redtop  sales  exceeded  those  from 
either  Farm  A  or  Farm  B,  altho  they  represented  a  much  smaller  pro- 
portion of  crop  receipts.  Returns  from  livestock  in  relation  to  the 
capital  invested  were  more  than  double  those  of  Farm  A  and  one-third 
more  than  on  Farm  B. 

The  above  differences  are  a  result  of  differences  in  management. 
The  results  on  these  three  farms  indicate  that  redtop  can  be  included 
as  a  profitable  crop  on  well-organized  and  efficiently  operated  farms 
in  this  district. 


19341  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  291 

EFFECT  OF  CASH-OUTLAY  REQUIREMENTS 
ON  USE  OF  REDTOP 

Comparison  of  the  expenses  in  harvesting  and  marketing  redtop 
with  the  cash  returns  from  crop  (Table  38)  emphasizes  the  advantage 
of  including  redtop  in  a  carefully  developed  plan  for  the  entire  farm 
rather  than  as  an  independent  cash  crop. 

The  actual  cash  outlay  for  binding,  threshing,  and  delivering  the 
redtop  seed  crop  to  market  in  1931  and  1932  and  the  return  from  seed 
is  shown  by  counties  in  Table  38.  Tho  custom  rates  of  harvesting, 
threshing,  and  marketing  declined  somewhat  in  the  redtop  district  in 

TABLE  38. — CASH  EXPENDITURES  FOR  HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  REDTOP  IN 
14  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  COUNTIES,  1931  AND  1932 


County 

Num- 
ber of 
farms 

Acres 
seed 
per 
farm 

Prod, 
per 
farm 
(Ibs.) 

Binding 

costs 

Thresh- 
ing 
costs 

Deliv- 
ery 

costs 

Total 
cost 

Return 
from 
seed* 

Net 
per 
acre 

Miles 
to 
market 

1931 


Clay  

18 

41 

2  495 

41.00 

25.80 

2.60 

69.40 

200.20 

3.20 

9.9 

Clinton  

2 

48 

3  766 

36.00 

41.70 

2.25 

79.95 

244  .  80 

3.45 

3.5 

I 

10 

1   200 

7.50 

7.85 

78  00 

10.0 

Edwards  

6 

28 

2  025 

21.00 

28.20 

2.40 

51.60 

131.65 

2.85 

5.5 

Effingham  

1 

40 

3  500 

30.00 

35.00 

14.00 

79.00 

227.50 

3.70 

75.0 

Fayette     

4 

20 

1  370 

15.00 

12.25 

3.50 

30.75 

89.05 

2.90 

43.5 

Hamilton  

5 

38 

1   232 

22.80 

22.00 

1.75 

46.55 

79.10 

.85 

6.0 

Jasper  

11 

80 

5  240 

68.00 

59.85 

2.85 

130.70 

340.60 

2.60 

12.9 

Jefferson   

8 

29 

1  037 

29.00 

16.65 

1  50 

47.15 

67.40 

.70 

3.3 

Marion    

12 

51 

3  971 

56.10 

42.75 

2.70 

101.55 

258.10 

3.05 

7.3 

Perry     

1 

45 

855 

17.10 

2.00 

55.60 

3.0 

Richland  

IS 

66 

3  842 

59.40 

45.30 

2.80 

107.50 

249  .  75 

2.  15 

5.4 

Wayne  

15 

62 

4  413 

68.20 

39.40 

4.40 

112.00 

286.85 

2.80 

6.7 

White        

4 

20 

1   230 

12.00 

23.30 

2.00 

37.30 

79.95 

2.15 

5.8 

(Not  stated)  
Area  

3 
106 

50 
48 

2  649 
3   100 

45.00 
43.20 

24.60 
36.55 

2.75 
3.00 

72.35 
82.75 

172.20 
201.50 

2.00 
2.45 

5.5 
9.6 

1932 


Clay  

18 

42 

2  670 

34.70 

21.95 

2.15 

57.80 

93.45 

.85 

8.4 

Clinton  

2 

48 

6.0 

Cumberland  .... 

1 

10 

i  266 

42.00 

Edwards  

6 

28 

1  599 

18.20 

17.10 

1.10 

36.40 

55.95 

.70 

5.9 

Effingham  

1 

40 

3  500 

30.00 

30.00 

8.00 

68.00 

122.50 

1.35 

75.0 

Fayette  

4 

23 

1  572 

15.75 

12.90 

3.50 

32.15 

55.00 

1.00 

43.5 

Hamilton  

5 

22 

210 

2.25 

7.35 

1.0 

Jasper  

11 

73 

5  337 

58.40 

56.75 

3.00 

118.15 

186.80 

.95 

13.8 

Jefferson  

8 

24 

1   206 

24.00 

13.05 

1.00 

38.05 

42.20 

.15 

2.8 

Marion  

12 

31 

2  957 

29.45 

26.40 

1.90 

57.75 

103.40 

1.45 

8.2 

Perry    

1 

30 

Richland  

15 

58 

3  709 

46.40 

34.45 

2.75 

83.55 

129.80 

.80 

5.6 

Wayne  

15 

49 

3  045 

39.20 

21.75 

2.95 

63.90 

116.60 

1.05 

5.7 

White        

4 

12 

307 

5  40 

3  30 

2  00 

10.70 

10.75 

0 

5.8 

(Not  stated)  
Area  

3 
106 

40 

42 

4  920 
2  910 

36.00 
33.60 

38.95 
26  00 

3.00 
2.50 

77.95 
62.10 

172.20 
101.85 

2.35 
.95 

5.5 
10.4 

'On  the  basis  of  6.5  cents  per  pound  in  1931  and  3.5  cents  per  pound  in  1932. 


292  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

• 
1932  from  those  of  1931,a  they  were  still  so  high  in  relation  to  prices 

that  they  absorbed  nearly  all  the  receipts.  At  a  price  of  6.5  cents  a 
pound  in  1931,  the  returns  for  seed  above  harvesting  and  marketing 
costs  were  less  than  $120  a  farm  for  the  48  acres  of  redtop  which 
these  farms  averaged. 

Marketing  costs  for  the  entire  crop  based  on  custom  charges  varied 
according  to  size  of  crop  and  distance  to  market.  Some  farmers  took 
their  seed  direct  to  the  pool  warehouse;  in  many  localities  the  pool 
had  local  arrangements  for  receiving  the  seed. 

In  spite  of  the  small  margin  between  harvesting  costs  and  cash 
returns,  dependence  upon  redtop  as  a  cash  crop  is  encouraged  by  the 
nature  of  the  crop  and  by  practices  in  the  district.  Since  redtop  oc- 
cupies the  land  for  several  years,  it  offers  a  ready  means  of  shifting 
between  pasture,  hay,  and  seed  uses  from  year  to  year.  The  practice, 
however,  of  renting  redtop  fields  for  cash  for  the  year,  and  the  diffi- 
culties in  undertaking  soil-building  programs  in  a  period  of  unfavor- 
able economic  conditions,  such  as  that  from  1930  to  1934,  have  tended 
to  perpetuate  the  widespread  use  of  the  crop  on  the  farms  of  the 
district. 

Under  such  conditions  the  producer's  decision  as  to  the  use  he 
will  make  of  redtop  is  likely  to  depend  upon  the  method  which  offers 
the  widest  margin  between  cash  receipts  and  direct  cash  outlays,  ir- 
respective of  the  amount  of  labor,  power,  and  other  items  supplied 
by  the  farm.  The  cash  items  of  expense  in  harvesting  and  marketing 
redtop  seed,  measured  in  comparison  with  probable  yields  and  prices, 
are  all  too  frequently  the  criterion  upon  which  the  use  of  redtop  is 
determined. 

PLACE  OF  REDTOP  IN  FUTURE  ADJUSTMENTS  OF 
SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  AGRICULTURE 

Size  of  Farm  and  Volume  of  Business  as  Factors  in  Adjustment 

On  southern  Illinois  farms  of  small  or  intermediate  size  on  which 
a  considerable  proportion  of  the  tillable  area  is  devoted  to  an  exten- 
sive crop  like  redtop  and  on  which  the  limited  production  of  feed  re- 


*The  average  rate  for  cutting  redtop  with  a  binder  decreased  from  90  cents 
an  acre  in  1931  to  80  cents  an  acre  in  1932.  The  rate  in  1931  varied  from  60 
cents  in  White  county  to  $1.10  in  Wayne  and  Marion  counties;  the  rate  in  1932 
varied  from  45  cents  in  White  county  to  $1.00  in  Jefferson.  Average  threshing 
charges  decreased  from  16.5  cents  a  bushel  in  1931,  the  rate  varying  from  9 
cents  in  Cumberland  county  to  28  in  Perry,  to  12.5  cents  a  bushel  in  1932,  the 
rate  varying  from  10  cents  in  Wayne  county  to  21  cents  in  Perry.  The  higher 
rates  represent  charges  for  threshing  redtop  which  was  mowed  instead  of  bound. 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  293 

stricts  livestock  enterprises,  returns  are  likely  to  be  too  limited  to  pro- 
vide an  adequate  standard  of  living  for  the  farm  family  (see  Table 
37,  page  289). 

On  larger  farms,  however,  a  plan  for  farm  improvement  may 
be  developed  in  two  parts.  First,  a  limited  acreage  could  be  improved 
l)y  soil  treatment  and  by  adopting  a  suitable  rotation  of  crops,  in- 
cluding legumes.  Second,  redtop  as  an  extensive  crop  might  occupy  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  acreage  of  these  farms.  Such  a  two- 
fold plan  would  work  best  on  farms  where  the  area  used  intensively 
would  provide  most  of  the  feed  crops  and  a  fair  volume  of  business. 
The  land  in  redtop  would  then  be  used  to  enlarge  the  business,  to 
utilize  available  labor,  power  and  equipment,  and  to  furnish  a  cash 
return,  or  to  supply  feed  reserves  in  years  of  unfavorable  crop  pro- 
duction. With  farms  of  intermediate  size  part  or  all  of  the  redtop 
acreage  could  be  used  for  pasture  when  desired,  thus  contributing 
directly  to  the  feed  supply  rather  than  to  the  cash  returns. 

Redtop  Used  to  Best  Advantage  With  Livestock 

The  experience  of  farmers  in  the  redtop  district,  as  shown  by  the 
foregoing  analyses  of  farm  records,  indicates  a  marked  reliance  upon 
livestock  and  livestock  products  as  sources  of  farm  returns.  In  view 
of  these  conditions  and  the  limited  volume  and  limited  value  of  redtop 
production  per  acre,  an  increase  in  the  acreage  devoted  to  redtop 
would  not  usually  increase  the  farm  returns. 

An  increase  in  the  yields  of  seed  or  of  hay  on  the  present  acreage, 
however,  would  improve  the  position  of  the  individual  farm  unless  the 
cost  of  securing  larger  yields  exceeded  the  value  of  the  increase,  or 
unless  an  increase  in  the  total  production  resulted  in  lowered  prices. 
While  redtop  makes  its  best  yields  on  the  better  land,  such  land  is 
generally  used  for  other  crops,  commonly  classed  as  higher-return 
crops,  altho  a  year  or  more  of  high  seed  prices  draws  some  of  the 
better  land  into  the  production  of  redtop  seed. 

Redtop  does  best  in  connection  with  a  livestock  system  of  farming 
inasmuch  as  acre-yields  of  redtop  seed  are  improved  following  pastur- 
ing. The  use  of  a  considerably  larger  part  of  the  acreage  for  pasture 
and  the  rotation  of  the  pasture  and  seed  acreage  would  serve  to  in- 
crease the  profitableness  of  that  part  harvested  for  seed  and  at  the 
same  time  reduce  the  total  seed  supply,  thus  making  for  better  seed 
prices. 

Since  the  present  redtop  district  is  barely  self-sufficient  in  feed 
supplies  and  since  it  is  seldom  possible  to  ship  in  feeds  at  favorable 


294  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

feed-livestock  ratios,  a  further  expansion  of  livestock  numbers  would 
appear  to  depend  upon  increasing  the  feed  production  of  the  district. 
A  sound  cropping  plan  would  therefore  offer  a  means  of  increasing 
the  supply  of  crops  both  for  feed  and  market. 

Soil-Improvement  Programs  Needed  on  Redtop  Farms 

Definite  data  are  not  available  regarding  the  extent  to  which  lime- 
stone had  been  applied  on  the  farms  in  the  redtop  district  from  which 
financial  records  were  secured.  Presumably  limestone  had  not  been 
applied  on  many  of  them,  for  fewer  than  half  these  farms  grew 
legumes  that  usually  require  sweet  soil  and  on  many  the  acreages  of 
such  legumes  were  small.  The  limited  returns  on  farms  in  the  redtop 
territory  for  the  period  1928-1932,  moreover,  indicate  that  a  general 
liming  program  would  have  been  difficult  because  of  the  lack  of  avail- 
able funds. 

Improvement  in  farming  in  this  district  may  be  effected  by  in- 
creasing the  acreage  of  legumes  grown,  since  legumes  make  possible 
increased  yields  of  all  crops  and  provide  better  balanced  feeds  for  live- 
stock. That  this  condition  is  recognized  by  farmers  is  indicated  by 
the  increasing  use  of  legume  hays  and  pastures.  During  the  five  years 
1928-1932  legumes  made  up  69  percent  of  the  hay  acreage  on  farms 
keeping  records  in  the  central  or  seed  area  and  58.5  percent  on  those 
in  the  border  or  hay  and  pasture  area.  Soybeans  and  cowpeas  com- 
prized the  major  part  of  this  acreage.  These  crops  are  poorly  suited 
to  pasture  uses,  and  only  14  and  13  percent  respectively  of  the  tillable 
pasture  area  was  in  legumes.  The  need  for  an  acid-tolerant  legume 
pasture  crop  is  evident.  Lespedeza  holds  promise  of  filling  this  need. 

Economic  Limitations  on  Redtop  Acreage 

In  view  of  the  tendency  for  several  years  past  for  annual  redtop 
seed  production  to  exceed  demand  and  for  storage  stocks  to  accu- 
mulate, the  possibility  of  securing  prices  for  redtop  seed  which  would 
yield  remunerative  returns  must  depend  upon  an  increase  in  demand 
or  a  curtailed  production. 

The  individual  farmer's  best  opportunity  to  adjust  his  farming 
operations  to  the  changed  demand  for  redtop  lies  in  so  improving  the 
farm  plan  that  a  part  of  the  redtop  seed  acreage  may  be  used  for  hay 
and  pasture  on  the  farm  in  connection  with  livestock  production,  and 
so  that  the  acreage  cut  for  seed  may  be  varied  in  response  to  market 
demands. 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  295 

SUMMARY 

1.  Redtop  is  the  second  most  important  pasture  grass  in  the  United 
States,  ranking  next  to  Kentucky  bluegrass.    About  85  percent  of  the 
world's  supply  of  redtop  seed  and  95  percent  of  the  total  redtop  seed 
in  the  United  States  is  produced  in  a  dozen  counties  in  southern  Illi- 
nois,   (p.  231) 

2.  The  principal  uses  of  redtop  are  as  (1)  a  wet-land  or  sour-land 
hay  crop,  (2)  a  part  of  pasture  mixtures,  (3)  a  part  of  lawn  and  golf- 
course  mixtures,  (4)  a  soil  binder,  and  (5)  an  ingredient  in  seed  mix- 
tures for  hay  to  be  used  on  the  farm.     No  other  cultivated  grass  will 
grow  under  so  wide  a  range  of  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  as  will 
redtop.     (p.  232) 

3.  At  Newton  and  Odin  experiment  fields  in  southern  Illinois  or- 
ganic manure  and  lime  gave  yields  considerably  higher  than  the  aver- 
age for  the  redtop  area.    (p.  233) 

4.  Redtop  gives  best  results  when  planted  on  a  well-prepared  com- 
pact seed  bed  and  is  usually  sown  broadcast  in  the  fall.     (p.  235) 

5.  Under  normal  conditions  redtop  should  be  harvested  for  seed 
not  later  than  one  week  after  blooming  is  completed,  because  of  the 
danger  of  loss  thru  shattering  if  harvesting  is  delayed  beyond  that 
time.     (p.  241) 

6.  The   annual   acreage   of   redtop   harvested    for   seed   averaged 
204,800  acres  for  the  period  1922-1933.     The  average  yield  of  seed 
for  this  period  was  54  pounds  an  acre.     (p.  244) 

7.  A  total  of  more  than  160,000  tons  of  redtop  straw  was  available 
from  the  1931  crop.     Redtop  straw  has  not  been  given  much  market 
consideration  in  recent  years,  commercial  outlet  for  it  having  largely 
disappeared,    (p.  248) 

8.  On  the  basis  of  each  acre  of  redtop  meadow  supplying  25  pas- 
ture-days per  animal  unit  and  of  each  acre  of  redtop  pasture  supplying 
60  pasture-days,   a  total  yearly  acreage   sufficient   to   carry  225,000 
animals  for  200  days  has  been  estimated  for  the  state  on  the  basis  of 
1929  production,     (p.  251) 

9.  Commercial  movements  of  redtop  hay  have  been  restricted  in 
recent  years  almost  entirely  to  local  purchases.     It  is  not  uncommon 
to  see  farm  stacks  of  hay  two  and  three  years  old.     (p.  252) 

10.  Most  of  the  redtop  seed  has  been  utilized  in  the  eastern  half 
of  the  United  States  north  of  the  southern  line  of  Tennessee.    Various 
uses  for  redtop  seed  may  be  ranked  in  importance  as  follows:     (1) 


296  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 

lawn-grass  mixtures,  (2)  pasture  mixtures,  (3)  golf-course  mixtures, 
(4)  meadows,  (5)  binding  terraces  and  roadsides,  and  preventing 
erosion,  (p.  255) 

11.  The  annual  production  and  consumption  of  Kentucky  bluegrass 
seed  and  redtop  seed  have  been  practically  equal.     Both  are  important 
constituents  of  lawn-grass  mixtures.    On  poorer  soils,  rather  acid  soils, 
wet  soils,  and  on  other  soils  if  seeded  late  in  the  season,  the  proportion 
of  redtop  in  such  mixtures  should  be  between  20  and  40  percent,    (pp. 
256-257) 

12.  Redtop  seed  consumption  may  be  expected  to  show   further 
increase,     (p.  257) 

13.  Seed  is  sold  to  local  dealers  on  a  cleaned  90-percent  basis, 
which  is  arrived  at  by  cleaning  a  measured  quantity  of  seed  on  small 
fanning  mills.     Redtop  seed  as  it  comes  on  the  market  is  relatively 
pure  and  free  from  noxious  weed  seeds,     (pp.  258-260) 

14.  As  a  result  of  interviews  with  all  the  important  local  seed  deal- 
ers in  Illinois  between  September  8  and  15,  1932,  it  is  estimated  that 
about  17.5  percent  of  the  crop  of  the  previous  year  was  carried  over 
by  local  handlers,     (pp.  260-261) 

15.  The  amount  of  seed  handled  by  the  Egyptian  Seed  Growers' 
Exchange   represents   an   important   proportion   of   the   entire   redtop 
seed  supply  of  the  state.     The  Redtop  Growers'  Warehouse  Associa- 
tion,   a    subsidiary   organization    of    the    Seed    Exchange,    owns    and 
operates  a  government-bonded  warehouse  which  receives  seed  as  de- 
livered for  the  account  of  the  producer,     (pp.  261-262) 

16.  Wholesale  dealers  handle  redtop  along  with  other  seed  and 
dispose  of  the  bulk  of  it  in  grass-seed  mixtures,  altho  a  considerable 
amount  is  sold  as  straight  redtop  seed  for  use  in  southern  states,    (p. 
262) 

17.  Retail  sales  of  redtop  seed  are  made  both  in  mixture  and  in 
bulk.   In  areas  in  which  redtop  is  grown  alone  to  a  considerable  extent, 
the  proportion  of  redtop  seed  sold  in  bulk  is  high.     (p.  263) 

18.  Demands  for  systematic  methods  of  establishing  and  maintain- 
ing  balance   between    production    and    consumption    of    redtop    seed 
reached  concrete  expression  in  a  proposed  marketing  agreement  for 
the  redtop  seed  industry  on  which  hearings  were  held  March  9.  1934. 
(p.  264) 

19.  Prices  of  recleaned  redtop  seed  reached  a  low  of  3.4  cents  a 
pound  in  1932,  and  during  four  years  of  the  period  1907-1932  reached 


]934~\  PRODUCTION  AND  M ARKETING  OF  REDTOP  297 

annual  averages  as  high  as  22  cents.    The  average  price  for  1923-1932 
was  about  13  cents,     (p.  265) 

20.  The  spread  between  producer  and  wholesale  prices  of  redtop 
seed  was  3.6  cents  a  pound,  and  between  wholesale  and  retail  prices, 
3.7  cents,  during  the  ten-year  period  1923-1932.     (p.  268) 

21.  Import  duties  have  been  levied  on  redtop  seed  since   1922. 
These   were   increased   sufficiently   in    1930  to   provide   an   embargo 
against  importation.     The  duties  on  all  hays  have  been  such  as  to 
exclude  competition  in  domestic  markets,     (p.  271) 

22.  General  organization  and  financial  returns  from  record-keeping 
farms  in  the  seed  and  hay  areas  of  the  redtop  district  have  been 
similar,     (p.  272) 

23.  The  small  proportion  of  farm  receipts  from  crops  in  the  central 
or  seed  area  of  the  redtop  district  and  the  large  part  from  livestock 
and  livestock  products  indicates  that  most  of  the  crops  grown  have 
been  utilized  on  the  farm.     (p.  279) 

24.  Soybeans  and  cowpeas  do  not  compete  directly  with  redtop 
from  the  labor  standpoint,  inasmuch  as  their  planting  comes  ahead  of 
redtop  harvest  and  their  harvest  time  much  later.     In  their  utilization 
on  the  farm,  however,  they  displace  much  redtop  hay  or  straw,     (p. 
283) 

25.  In  comparison  with  the  central,  or  redtop  seed,  area  the  farm 
investment  in  the  border,  or  hay  and  pasture,  area  showed  somewhat 
more  hogs  and  poultry  and  fewer  cattle  and  sheep,     (p.  285) 

26.  A  detailed  study  of  three  farms  in  the  redtop  district,  repre- 
senting wide  differences  in  conditions,  indicates  that  redtop  can  be  in- 
cluded as  a  profitable  crop  on  well-organized  and  efficiently  operated 
farms  in  this  district,     (pp.  288-290) 

27.  Redtop  does  best  in  connection  with  livestock  systems  of  farm- 
ing.    Acre-yields  of  redtop  seed  are  improved  following  pasturing, 
(p.  293) 

28.  Improvement  in  farming  in  the  redtop  district  may  be  effected 
by  increasing  the  acreage  of  legumes,  since  legumes  make  possible  in- 
creased yields  of  all  crops  and  provide  better  balanced  feeds  for  live- 
stock,    (p.  294) 

29.  The  individual  farmer's  best  opportunity  to  adjust  his  farming 
operations  to  the  changed  demand  for  redtop  lies  in  so  improving  the 
farm  plan  that  a  part  of  the  redtop  seed  acreage  may  be  used  for  hay 
and  pasture  on  the  farm  in  livestock  production,  and  so  that  the  acre- 
age cut  for  seed  may  be  varied  in  response  to  market  demands,     (p. 
294) 


298  BULLETIN  No.  404  [June, 


LITERATURE  CITED 

1.  BUZZARD,  R.  G.     The  red-top  production  of  southeastern  Illinois.     111.  State 

Acad.  Sci.  Trans.  23,  No.  3,  465-475.    1931. 

2.  DULANEY,  B.  W.     How  redtop  was  introduced  into  Illinois.     Seed  Trade 

News  15,  No.  21,  10.    1930. 

3.  ILL.  COOP.  CROP  REPTG.  SERV.    Circ.  396,  91-92.    1930. 

4.  LAMB,  JOHN.     Some  factors  affecting  production  of  redtop  seed  in  southern 

Illinois.     Master's  thesis  in  Agronomy,  unpublished,  Univ.  of  111.     1929. 

5.  MOSHER,  EDNA.    The  grasses  of  Illinois.    111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  205.    1918. 

6.  PIEPER,  J.  J.,  and  BURLISON,  W.  L.    Redtop  seed  production  in  Illinois.    Bui. 

U.  S.  Golf  Assn.  Green  Sec.  10,  No.  12,  225-228.    1930. 

7.  PIPER,  C.  V.   Important  cultivated  grasses.   U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.   Bui.  1254.   1922. 

8.  -  -  Forage  plants  and  their  culture,     p.  192.     MacMillan.     1924. 

9.  -  —  and  others.     Our  forage  resources.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Yearbook, 

357-380.    1923. 

10.  RAUCHENSTEIN,  EMIL,  and  Ross,  R.  C.     Cost  of  producing  field  crops  in 

three  areas  of  Illinois,  1913-1922.    111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  277.    1926. 

11.  SMITH,  R.  S.,  and  NORTON,  E.  A.    Certain  profiles  in  southern  Illinois.    Jour. 

Amer.  Soc.  Agron.  19,  324-332.     1927. 

12.  STEWART,  C.  L.    Farm  real  estate  valuations  in  Illinois  with  special  reference 

to  township  averages.     111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  399.     1934. 

13.  U.  S.  DEPT.  AGR.,  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.,  Div.  Hay,  Feed,  and  Seed.    Report,  1932. 

14.  U.  S.  DEPT.  AGR.,  Div.  Prod.  Forage  Crops  and  Replacement  Crops  Sec., 

A.  A.  A.  Pasture  plants  and  pasture  mixtures  suggested  for  seeding  on 
the  acreage  taken  out  of  cotton,  tobacco,  wheat,  and  corn.  Mimeo.  pub. 
October  16,  1933. 

15.  WILCOX,  W.  W.    Trends  in  the  production  and  organization  of  farms  in  the 

redtop  area  of  Illinois.  Master's  thesis  in  Farm  Organization  and  Man- 
agement, unpublished,  Univ.  of  111.  1930. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

Various  state  and  federal  agencies  as  well  as  private  enterprises  and  individ- 
uals have  given  helpful  information  and  assistance  in  connection  with  this  study; 
namely,  the  Illinois  Crop  Reporting  Service  (a  cooperative  enterprise  of  the 
Illinois  State  Department  of  Agriculture  and  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture), the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, the  Bureau  of  the  Census,  practically  all  redtop  cleaning  establishments 
and  other  local  handlers  in  Illinois,  a  number  of  wholesale  dealers  in  Illinois 
and  other  states,  and  many  producers  in  the  Illinois  redtop  district. 

For  special  assistance  rendered  the  authors  make  acknowledgment  to  the 
following  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
L.  J.  Norton,  Assistant  Chief  in  Agricultural  Economics,  E.  L.  McBride,  for- 
merly Research  Assistant  in  Agricultural  Economics,  and  J.  J.  Pieper,  Associate 
Chief  in  Crop  Production ;  and  to  G.  C.  Edler,  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Eco- 
nomics, U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  A.  J.  Surratt,  Illinois  Cooperative 
Crop  Reporting  Service. 


1934]  PRODUCTION  AND  MARKETING  OF  REDTOP  299 


SOURCES  OF  DATA 

(Tables  for  tt'/uV/t  no  sources  arc  here  indicated  arc  based  on  material 
gathered  at  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  and  published  here  for 
the  first  time.) 

Tables  2,  5,  8,  9,  11,  12.  Information  procured  by  field  interviews  by  one 
of  the  authors  and  by  Experiment  Station  questionnaires,  fall,  1932.  Both 
series  of  records  were  well  distributed  over  the  important  redtop  seed- 
producing  counties. 

Table  7.  U.  S.  Census,  1930.  Agriculture  2,  part  1.  County  tables  S 
and  7,  pages  599-607,  616-623. 

Tables  10,  14,  15,  16,  18,  22.  Seasonal  reports  issued  by  Bur.  Agr.  Econ. 
Hay,  Feed,  and  Seed  Div.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  1923-1932. 

Table  13.  Seasonal  reports  issued  by  Illinois  Cooperative  Crop  Report- 
ing Service,  1919-1932. 

Table  17.  Hay,  by  Piper,  C.  V.,  and  others.  Agricultural  Yearbook, 
USDA,  p.  326.  1924. 

Tables  19,  20,  and  21.  Seed  statistics,  by  Louis  B.  Flohr.  Statis.  Bui.  2, 
USDA,  1924;  Seasonal  reports  issued  by  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.  Hay,  Feed,  and 
Seed  Div.,  USDA,  1919-1933. 

Table  23.  Wholesale  prices,  1931.  Bur.  Labor  Statis.  Bui.  572,  January, 
1933;  Wholesale  prices,  December  and  year  1932.  1933;  Bur.  Labor  Statis. 
U.  S.  Dept.  Labor:  Seasonal  reports  issued  by  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.  Hay,  Feed, 
and  Seed  Div.,  USDA,  1919-1933. 

Table  24.  Tariff  act  of  1930,  House  Doc.  476,  71st  Cong.,  2d  Sess.,  1930: 
Comparison  of  tariff  acts  of  1909,  1913,  1922,  by  C.  F.  Moore,  published  by 
U.  S.  Cong.  House  Repr.  Ways  and  Means  Com. 

Table  25.  111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  277.  From  Table  1,  page  44.  Man 
labor,  horse  labor,  seed,  threshing,  and  interest  rates  were  adjusted  on  the 
basis  of  an  average  of  those  prevailing  for  the  1931  and  1932  crops. 

Tables  26  to  36.  Based  on  farm  financial  records  kept  by  farmers  in 
area  indicated  in  cooperation  with  their  county  farm  bureaus  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois. 

Fig.  1.    Prom  Agricultural  Yearbook,  USDA,  p.  380.    1923. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA